


Ruby Rose and the Rise of Salem

by vividder



Series: RWBY HP AU [4]
Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling, RWBY
Genre: Alternate Universe - Harry Potter Setting, Book 4: Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire, Canonical Character Death, Cults, Gen, Terrorism, Triwizard Tournament
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-02-03
Updated: 2019-02-05
Packaged: 2019-10-21 15:06:30
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 22
Words: 54,015
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17645108
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/vividder/pseuds/vividder
Summary: Ruby Rose and her friends return to Hogwarts for their fourth year, their most exciting--and most dangerous--yet.





	1. The Tickets

Taiyang walked through the door waving a thick envelope in his hand.  “Guess what?” he asked his daughters, who sat in the center of their living room, both looking over a chessboard as the pieces yelled different strategies at the players and insulted each other.

“What?” Ruby asked.

Taiyang’s barely-contained smile widened.  “So, today was the fundraising raffle at the Ministry,” he began slowly, “and we won…” Taiyang let the anticipation hang in the air as even the chess pieces fell silent.  “Tickets to the Quidditch World Cup finals!”

“Yes!” Ruby jumped into the air, accidentally kicking the forgotten chess game.

“Really?” Yang asked, standing.  

“Take a look!”  He handed the envelope to Yang, and she opened it carefully, squealing in delight as she handled the tickets, looking at each one before handing them to Ruby, who also shrieked happily at the news.

The excitement lasted through the evening and into the next day, and just as it started to wane, their joy became rejuvenated when Taiyang informed the girls they could take a friend.

“Well, they gave us four tickets,” Taiyang said.  “In case you haven’t noticed, our family isn’t four people.”

Ruby and Yang ran back to their room.  “How about Blake?” Ruby asked.

“Already going,” Yang said, flipping her hair over her shoulder as she leaned against her bed.  

“What?  How do you know?”

“She wrote me, silly.  I just asked. After all, her parents are crazy rich.  A friend in the Department of Magical Sports or something like that, whoever’s running the competition, got them tickets.”  

“How could she not tell me?” Ruby exclaimed, going to her desk and pulling out a piece of parchment and a quill to interrogate her roommate about why she didn’t get to learn this critical piece of information.

“Ruby, focus!  How about we ask Nora?”

“Yes!  Let’s ask Nora!”

So they composed a letter to Nora.

_ Dear Nora, _

_ We hope you’re having a great summer! _

_ Dad got tickets to the QUIDDITCH WORLD CUP!!!! _

_ And we’re allowed to bring a friend! _

_ We can pick you up if you need us.  The match is next Monday, so we’d probably get you some time on Sunday because we need to get up early to get there before the match! _

_ See you soon! _

_ Your friends, _

_ Ruby Rose and Yang Xiao Long _

They took the note to the post office and sent it off with an owl.  A response arrived that evening.

_ Hi guys! _

_ I wish I could come with you.  The Quidditch World Cup sounds really exciting.  But there’s just some things that came up, and I won’t be able to make it.  I hope you guys have fun and bring some pictures to Hogwarts to show us! _

_ Your friend,  _

_ Nora _

“That sucks,” Yang said, reading the response.  “Who else should we ask?”

“Jaune?” suggested Ruby.

Because Jaune lived with a Muggle family, Taiyang figured that it might be best to approach his parents directly.  “Not that she’s not actually busy,” he said, “but the fact is, her guardians have never met you or I and probably have no idea if we’re actually trustworthy.  Talking parent-to-parent might work better because I can reassure the Arcs that we’re not kidnappers or whatever.”

This made sense to the girls, and they watched as their dad wrote a Muggle letter to send through their postal system

_ Dear Mr. and Mrs. Arc, _

_ We have never been introduced, but I taught your son Jaune in Defense Against the Dark Arts last year at Hogwarts and my daughters, Ruby and Yang, both happen to be friends with your son and speak highly of him. _

_ As Jaune might have told you, the final of the Quidditch World Cup takes place this Monday night.  The Department of Magical Games and Sports recently held a charity raffle at the Ministry, in which my small family won the grand prize of four tickets to the final.  Since we had an extra ticket, I let Ruby and Yang select a friend to invite to the match. They chose Jaune. _

_ I hope you will allow us to take Jaune to the match, as this really is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity; Britain hasn't hosted the cup for thirty years, and tickets are extremely hard to come by.  Truthfully, I would not have even attempted to purchase tickets outside of the raffle, as I normally work as the wizarding equivalent of a policeman and wouldn’t have been able to afford them.  _

_ You can send your answer through the normal post.  Ruby and Yang should learn how to send mail this way too, and you’ll give them some valuable practice. _

_ If Jaune would like to stay after the Cup match, it would be possible to make arrangements for that.  We have a guest bedroom that Jaune would be able to use, so there’s no concern about him rooming with two teenage girls. _

_ Hoping to see Jaune soon, _

_ Yours sincerely, _

_ Taiyang Xiao Long _

“You don’t need to include that part about the guest bedroom, dad,” Yang moaned, embarrassed.

“It’s something we worry about as parents,” Taiyang said, sealing the letter in an envelope and sealing it before putting a stamp on it and addressing it.  

“It’s weird!”

“It’s not weird!”

He set it on the small table by the door.  “You need to go into town and take that to the Muggle post office tomorrow.  Think you can do that?”

Ruby saluted him.  “Got it!”

 

Jaune’s mother paused to examine the envelope as she sorted through the mail.  It was addressed to Mr. and Mrs. Arc, and was from someone named Taiyang Xiao Long.  Instead of sorting through the rest of the pile of ads and bills before opening whatever needed addressed, she opened this envelope first and scanned the note.

She knew the name Xiao Long had been familiar!  Jaune had written about his class a few times the previous year, and he’d definitely mentioned Ruby and Yang at some point.  

God, so many kids.  So much to keep track of.  Especially when the oldest is a wizard…

“Jaune!” she bellowed up the stairs.

Her son appeared a moment later.  “What?”

“I got a letter from a Mr. Xiao Long about a Quidditch World Cup,” she explained, handing Jaune the letter.  “Apparently Ruby and Yang would very much like you to join them.”

Jaune smiled at the parchment in his hands (for it certainly wasn’t the computer paper she was used to).  “That would be awesome!” he exclaimed quietly, so not to alert his sisters that something cool might happen to only him.  “Do you...do you think I could go? I wouldn’t have to stay long--just for the match. And then I’d come right back.”

Jaune’s mom smiled.  Her son--formerly shy and clumsy--had two friends who liked him enough to invite him on vacation with them.  Being homeschooled, she knew, sometimes made it hard for her kids to relate to others, and it had been rough when Jaune had started at Hogwarts with so little in common with his classmates.  And now his friends sought him out for adventures, just how it should be! Even better, they were girls!

“I’ll have to talk to your dad, but I think it’s possible.  What’s Quidditch again, Jaune?”

“It’s like the Wizarding version of American football, but on brooms.  Ruby plays at school. She’s the Seeker, which means she has to catch a small ball and if she catches it, her team gets a lot of points and ends the match.  It’s really big back at school,” he added. “I still don’t really understand it.”

“But you still want to go?”

“Definitely!  I mean, Professor Xiao Long was super cool, but it sucks that he had to leave.  And Ruby and Yang are really nice. And it doesn’t seem like they live in a super-isolated place, either, since they can get to a post office, which means maybe I can find a phone and call you guys instead of just writing.”

“That sounds like a good plan,” his mom said.  “So, do you like Ruby?”

“What? Mom!” Jaune’s face reddened.  “Of course not.”

“Yang?”

“No!”

His mom laughed.  “Start getting your stuff together.  I’ll talk to your dad when he gets home.”

And to Jaune, that sounded pretty much like a yes.

 

The next day, he wrote back telling them he could come.

 

On the appointed Sunday, Jaune had a suitcase packed with everything he thought he’d need and a few things his parents had forced him to bring, including Muggle money to pay Professor Xiao Long back for any expense.  Trying to explain to them that wizarding currency was different didn’t do any good. After all, it wasn’t like the only wizarding bank he knew of was in London.

“Five is what your teacher said, right?” Jaune’s dad asked him around four-thirty.

“Yeah,” Jaune said.  He’d been trying to relax all afternoon, but he was too keyed up and excited for his trip.

When five o’clock came and went with no sign of the wizards, Jaune’s parents convinced him to come and have some dinner with the rest of the family while he waited.

“Maybe they got lost,” his mom said anxiously.  “I know our neighborhood can be a little confusing.”

“My friends can never find our house,” Alice said, from her seat about halfway down the table.  “It’s a lot confusing.”

“Wait, where’s Jaune going?” Michelle, eight years old and wise for her years, asked.

“To stay with some of his school friends for a few days,” their mom said.  For now, their family didn’t mention Jaune’s abilities to his younger siblings.  The story they’d come up with was that Jaune had been accepted into a school for gifted children, and it hadn’t been a hard facade to maintain.  After all, the way Jaune’s parents saw it, magic was a gift.

Suddenly, a shout came from the living room as green light flared, clearly visible over the half-wall separating the dining area from the other room.  Everyone stared as a soot-covered girl in a red and black dress stood up, a cheerful smile on her face. “Hi, Jaune!”

Another girl followed her, this one taller and blonde.  

Their father was the last to appear from the fireplace, blonde like the elder daughter, and wiping ash off of his button-down shirt and khakis.  He’d made an effort to look nice.

“Mommy!  That girl came from the fireplace!” Lucy, the youngest sister said.

The Arcs just stared at the trio in their living room for a moment.

“She did, sweetie,” Mrs. Arc said.

“Hi guys,” Jaune said, standing up.

Professor Xiao Long strode into the kitchen, holding out his hand to shake with Jaune’s parents.  “Sorry if we interrupted your dinner.”

All Mrs. Arc could say was, “You must be Professor Xiao Long.”

“Please, call me Taiyang,” he said with a smile.  “These are my daughters, Ruby and Yang.”

The girls waved.  

“Hello.”

“Hi.”

“So, we’ll have Jaune back to you after the match, or if he wants to stay, we can talk things over.  There’s a public telephone at the post office,” Taiyang explained. “And thanks for letting your son come with us.  The girls are really excited.”

“It’s no problem,” Mr. Arc said.  “About the fireplace…”

Taiyang looked behind him sheepishly for a moment, noticing the mess on the carpet.  “Uh, yeah. That won’t happen again. I had a friend set that up, he’ll reverse it tonight.  We don’t have a car, and I figured that broomsticks might stand out a little bit in your neck of the woods.  Again, my apologies for the interruption. Girls, help Jaune with his things.’

“Got it!” Yang said.

Taiyang pulled out his wand.  “Tergero!” The ash and dust vanished from the carpet, sucked away into the tip of the wand.

The three teens stood there, Jaune carrying only a small suitcase.  “Well, we’ll be off,” Taiyang said. “Have you ever traveled by Floo before, Jaune?”

“Um, no.”  He looked apprehensive at the idea.

“It’s easy,” Yang reassured him.

“All you do is take some Floo powder, step into the fireplace, and say where you want to go as clearly as you can,” Taiyang explained.  “How about you demonstrate, Ruby?” With another spell, Taiyang lit the fire before holding out a small pouch, which Ruby withdrew some powder from.  

She tossed it into the hearth, creating a blaze of green flame, before stepping in herself.  “Xiao Long house!” she exclaimed, and vanished up the chimney.

Yang repeated the procedure.  

“Jaune?”

He still looked suspicious of jumping through a fireplace, but took the powder and stepped into the fire, which tickled him instead of burning.  “Xiao Long house.” And with that, he was off.

The next thing he knew, Jaune had tumbled out of the fireplace landed on a sooty carpet, where Yang and Ruby stood together.  “Look out!” Ruby warned him, and pulled Jaune away from where he’d landed. A second later, Taiyang fell out of the hearth and Jaune found himself still a little stunned by the abrupt journey.

Ruby and Yang showed Jaune where his bedroom was and helped him put his things away.  “Thanks, guys. Although I’m pretty sure that’s not how my parents wanted my sisters to find out about the whole magic thing.”

Ruby and Yang glanced at each other.  “They...didn’t know?” Ruby asked sheepishly.

“My parents told them I got a scholarship to an exclusive boarding school for gifted kids.  I mean, it wasn’t...do you really want seven jealous younger sisters?” he exclaimed. 

“Fair point,” Yang said.  

“They’ll figure out how to explain it, though.  Maybe you’ll be magicians or something, or a family of traveling acrobats.”

There came a shout from the kitchen.  “Come help!”

While they’d been catching up in the guest bedroom, Taiyang had started cooking dinner.  Although he could have used magic to do many tasks, he didn’t prefer it. There was something oddly comforting about manually performing tasks like washing and chopping, and it gave him time to think after work.

To speed things up, though, he set the kids to work chopping, stirring, and setting the table, and once everyone had dished up their food from the counter, they sat down.

“So, who are you rooting for in the finals?” Taiyang asked Jaune.

“I haven’t really been keeping up with the World Cup, to be honest,” Jaune said.  “Since the Muggle Football World Cup has been happening at the same time…”

“Okay, we’ll catch you up!” Ruby exclaimed.  “The finalists are Ireland and Bulgaria this year.”

“England let us down,” Yang interjected.  

“And yeah, Scotland and Northern Ireland didn’t do great either.”

“I still can’t believe Wales lost to America,” Taiyang said.  “They haven’t had a really strong team in awhile.”

“So, Bulgaria has this really great Seeker, Viktor Krum.”  Ruby kept trying to explain how the tournament was going, but her family didn’t stop interrupting her.

Yang turned to her sister.  “Whom Ruby has a crush on.”

“Shut up!  I do not!”

“No, she totally does.  She read the  _ Quidditch Monthly  _ interview with Krum over and over until the magazine fell apart.”

“He’s just a really good Seeker.” Ruby defended herself weakly.  “Anyway, Ireland isn’t that bad either. Yang’s rooting for them.”

Yang cheered for her team.  “You can look through our Quidditch magazines and figure out who you’re rooting for tonight,” she offered.  “Except for the one Ruby read until it tore.”

As everyone finished eating, Taiyang let Ruby and Yang off the hook for their usual chores and the kids ran outside to make the most of the fading daylight.


	2. The Match

Taiyang woke everyone early the next morning, and they set off to the Portkey.

“We’re off to the Quidditch World Cup finals!” Ruby squealed, jumping up and down as they headed down the wooded trail to where the Portkey was supposed to be hidden.  

“How does she have so much energy this early in the morning?” Jaune asked Yang.

Yang shook her head.  “Absolutely no idea.”

For the most part, they walked in silence with Taiyang occasionally pointing out an animal or plant they passed with his flashlight, which he hadn’t needed in the early dawn.  

“We have a reasonable excuse for being out here,” Taiyang said.  “We’re hiking. So we have to look like hikers.” As a result, everyone wore jeans, boots, and jackets, carrying any wizarding or Quidditch gear in their backpacks.

They didn’t really talk too much on the walk, mostly because everyone except Ruby hadn’t been pleased to get up at 6 in the morning to go on a twenty-minute walk in the brisk morning air.

The trees ended at the base of a hill, which supposedly lead to a clearing.  “Do we have to climb that?” Yang asked.

“Yup,” Taiyang said, and using both hands to assist himself, began to scale the steep, grassy slope.

The kids followed him with grumbled complaints.

“Taiyang!” A voice came from the top of the hill.  As the kids crested it after their guardian, they saw a man and a young woman already standing at the top.  “We already found it.’

Taiyang and the man shook hands when they caught up to him.  The girl looked familiar, dressed in a red sweater and jeans.  She waved at them. “Hello, Jaune.”

Jaune blushed.  “Hey, Pyrrha. Long time, no see.”

She giggled.  “I could say the same to you.”

Taiyang clapped his shorter friend on the shoulder.  “This is Percy Nikos,” he said. “He works for the Department of Control of Magical Creatures.”

Mr. Nikos nodded.  “I see your children already know Pyrrha.”

“Just the girls.  Jaune’s a friend they invited.  We had an extra ticket.”

Mr. Nikos shook his head.  “We can’t all be so lucky as to win raffles like you, Taiyang.  Did you have to come a long way?”

“Not really.  We live just through those woods.”  He gestured behind him. “You?”

“Pyrrha and I have been up since four this morning.” Mr. Nikos chuckled.  “But trust me, we wouldn’t have missed it for the world, especially since Pyrrha’s Seeker and Captain of her team in the British Youth Quidditch League.”

“Really?  That’s impressive,” Taiyang said.  “Do you play at school, Pyrrha?”

“Yes, I do.  Ruby and I have played against each other before.”

“Good match,” was all Ruby could think to say, considering she’d lost said match.

Taiyang checked his old watch.  “We should get ready.”

They positioned themselves so that all six people could grab on to the old boot.  After a minute, nothing happened. Jaune spoke up. “What’s--”

And they were whisked away.

 

The landing surprised everyone and they landed on a misty moor, the sudden change in terrain causing everyone to lose their balance and collapse into a heap.

“Seven o’clock from Stoutshead Hill,” a voice said from above them.  

Once everyone had righted themselves, they faced two wizards, each with a ledger and a box of portkeys between them.  One wore a bright pink poncho to ward against the oncoming rain, and the other had one of those tacky umbrella hats. Jaune wondered where people even bought them anymore.

“Nikos, you’re the second field thataway,” and the umbrella hat man pointed into the distance, ask for Mr. Payne.”  He flipped a few more pages in the ledger, and got to the Xiao Longs. “Also that way, but first field, and your site manager is Mr. Roberts.”

More walking into a rainy, grey dawn until the sun had risen and a small booth came into view, an abundance of tents visible behind it.  “Hello. Are you Mr. Roberts?” Taiyang asked, approaching the booth.

“Aye,” said the man, with a noticeable Irish accent.  “And you are?”

“Taiyang Xiao Long.  I should have a reservation for one tent?”

The man flipped through a record book and made some marks with a pen.  He gestured to his left. “You’re on the west side of the campground.” From a drawer beneath the desk, he produced a map and made some marks on it with the same pen.  “Trail and lot are all marked here. Keep your kiddos under control, we don’t tolerate vandalism or underage drinking here. Paying now?”

“Yeah, sure.”  Taiyang reached into his pocket and pulled out the Muggle money he’d counted the previous night.

Roberts counted it and sorted it into a register.  His expression softened. “You’re the first easy customer I’ve had today.  Must be some convention or concert going on, there’s a lot of campers today...most of ‘em, not organized at all.  Don’t even know which bill is which, for heaven’s sake! I’m all for tourism, but you think that people would bother to learn what the money looks like before they go, right?  It’s almost as bad as the people whose credit cards decline, honestly.” He returned a few bills and coins to Taiyang. “Enjoy your stay.”

They walked down the trail Roberts had indicated on the map, passing other campsites on the way, a lot of which were...well, extremely elaborate was one way to put it.  They passed a tent that looked like a miniature replica of a gothic castle, one a mansion that easily stood over a story tall, a large, glowing orb which changed colors, and one that looked like a house.

“Isn’t this a Muggle campsite?” Ruby asked, surveying the odd campsites.

Taiyang shook his head.  “Everyone wants to show off at a big event like this.  That poor man up front’s probably been having his mind wiped for weeks.”  They turned a corner and came to an empty lot with a sign on a post in it.  ZHAOLONG it read. “Here we are.”

Taiyang pulled the tent off his back and they set it up, everyone helping to make sure that it actually stood upright once they’d put the stakes in the ground.  And from the outside, it looked like a totally normal camping tent. So that’s what Jaune expected when he went inside.

Instead, the tent doors opened onto a small studio apartment-type dwelling, with one large room, a stove, a sink, and an icebox, and a tiny bathroom.  “It’s not as much as some of the other tents here,” Taiyang said from behind him, “and it’s a little small, but it should still fit four people. I used to go camping all the time when I was in Auror training.”

Jaune, still surprised by the fact that they weren’t in a tent when in the tent, looked around again.  “It’s bigger on the inside.”

“You could call it magic,” Yang said, as she unrolled her sleeping bag.  

Meanwhile, Taiyang poked around inside of a trunk, pulling out some dishes and a kettle.  “How about I find us some food, while you guys get water and some wood so we can have a good old-fashioned campfire?”

“Yes!” Yang said, pumping her fist.  “Come on, guys!”

Ruby and Jaune each grabbed a jug of water and followed her out.  “Do you know where we’re going?” Ruby called after her sister.

Yang held up the map in response.

People around them were just starting to wake up and get moving.  A few cooked sausages and fried eggs over fires, but other people pulled out elaborate feasts from their huge tents and set them on tables outside.  Kids ran around with toy wands that shot sparks and brooms which barely hovered above the ground, while others chased balls and frisbees across the path.

“Have you ever been to anything like this?” Jaune asked Ruby.

Ruby shook her head.  “Never.”

As they rounded another bend in the trail, they came across tents covered in what looked like growing shamrocks.  In fact, the only indication that the lumps before them were tents and not small hills were their sizes and the witches and wizards moving between them.  

“Woah,” Yang said.

“Hey, guys,” a voice came from behind them.  They turned to find Blake standing in front of one of the green tents wearing a white jacket and black cargo pants.  “Excited for the match?”

“Blake!” Yang yelled, and ran to go give her best friend a hug, managing to pick her up off the ground and spin her in a circle.

“Good to see you too, Yang,” she said, once she was back on the ground.  “And Ruby and Jaune too.”

“So, you’re rooting for Ireland?” Ruby asked, gesturing to the green carpet covering nearly everything.

“Yeah.”  Blake scratched one of her ribbon-bound cat ears.  “The Ministry thinks it’s a little much.”

Ruby brushed a flyaway shamrock off her jeans.  “I can see why.”

“Well, I have to go run an errand for Dad,” Blake said.  “He wants one of those Irish flags that plays the national anthem.”

“Yeah, we should be on our way too,” Yang said.  “We’re supposed to get water. See you at the match!”

Blake looked like she was going to say something, but she smiled.  “Yeah. See you there.”

The Bulgarian tents, on the other hand, had animated posters of the Seeker, Viktor Krum hanging on them.  “He doesn’t look very happy,” Jaune commented.

“It’s all part of his emo charm,” Yang explained as Ruby glared at her.

The water wasn’t too far from the Bulgarian tents and it didn’t take the three of them long to fill two jugs while Yang hunted for firewood around the area.  In fact, going back took nearly as long as traveling to get water had, as they stopped to say hi to classmates they saw, like Ilia Amitola, and wait for Yang to grab pieces of wood.

Finally, they reached their own campsite.  “Took you long enough,” Taiyang said. He’d already prepared the firepit, and with Yang’s help, began carefully laying the firewood inside while leaving a pile to keep it going.  

It took awhile for the fire to get hot enough to use, so the kids collected more wood for the fire and brought the selection of Quidditch magazines out to catch Jaune up on the Cup.  Meanwhile,Taiyang made small talk with various coworkers who’d walk past. It seemed as if most of the Ministry couldn’t resist going to the Quidditch World Cup when it was happening in their backyard.

Finally, they had bacon, eggs, sausage, and toast prepared.

As they started eating, someone who must have been important walked by because Taiyang stood up in the middle of their meal to greet him.  He walked around the table and over to the large man in black and yellow striped robes, and shook his hand. “Ludo, it’s a pleasure to see you here.”

“Taiyang, old man, it’s not a problem!  The plans for the match are going off without a hitch--why, I’m almost bored, I’ve got so little to do!” he exclaimed.  

“I just wanted to thank you for putting the tickets in the raffle,” Taiyang said.  “I mean, without that little bit of luck, my daughters and their friend would have missed out on a once-in-a-lifetime experience.”

“Why, it’s my pleasure.”

Taiyang waved the kids over.  “This is Ludo Bagman, who donated the tickets that we won.  And Ludo, these are my daughters, Ruby and Yang, and their friend, Jaune Arc.”

“Again, Tai, it was my pleasure.”  Bagman pulled a small notebook from the pocket of his robes.  “And how about a flutter on the match?”

Taiyang waved the notebook away.  “I don’t gamble. Although if you want to stick around, we’ve got a kettle we can put on?”

“Sure, I’ll take a cuppa.”  He followed them out to the small picnic table that had come with their lot, and Taiyang put the teakettle over the fire.  “Actually, I’ve been keeping an eye out for Barty Crouch. My Bulgarian counterpart’s been going on and on about something, but I can’t figure it out through his accent.  Barty, though, he’ll figure it out.”

“I haven’t seen him all day.”  Taiyang returned to the table. “Did you hear anything from Bertha Jorkins?”

Ludo shook his head.  “Not a thing. Poor woman’s got the worst sense of direction I’ve ever seen.  She gets lost in our own office sometimes.”

“Is anyone looking for her?”

“We really can’t spare anyone at the moment. But she’s done this before.  She’ll come back in a few months with a story about staying in a goblin commune to purify herself.  Don’t you worry, Tai.”

They sat in silence for a few moments before Ludo spotted someone.

“Barty!  Over here!  Join us!”

A wizard in a Muggle business suit walked over.  Outside of a campground, he would have blended in perfectly, but alas, he just looked like a banker and a fish out of water, especially among some of the outrageously-dressed wizards.

“Ludo, the Bulgarians are asking for another twelve seats for the Top Box,” Crouch said stiffly, as if he didn’t exactly approve of the activities of his coworker.

“Oh, that’s fine, absolutely doable.  I thought they were asking for tweezers,” Ludo admitted.

“Would you like to join us?” Taiyang invited Crouch to their table, and he sat.

“I suppose I can spare a few minutes.”

“Been keeping busy, Barty?” Ludo asked Crouch with a casual tone the man clearly disliked.

“Yes.  It’s a lot to organize, coordinating Portkeys across five continents.”

“Well, I guess you probably can’t wait for this to be over,” Taiyang said.

Ludo looked shocked.  “Over? Tai, this is the most fun I’ve had in ages!  But it’s not like we haven’t got other projects, other plans, eh, Barty?”

“Nothing will be released until all details are finalized, Ludo.”

“Like we haven’t already gotten the signatures!”

“Ludo, we have a meeting with the Bulgarians in five minutes,” Crouch said, checking his watch.  “We really must be going. Thank you for the tea, Auror Xiao Long.”

Taiyang waved at the men as they left.  “No problem. See you at the match.”

“Indeed!” Ludo exclaimed.  “Top Box--I’ll be commentating!”

And with that, the Ministry officials left.

 

They spent the rest of the afternoon speculating about the match, gathering more firewood, and going to purchase souvenirs from the various salespeople that passed by.

 

Finally, just as the sun started to set, red and green lanterns placed through the woods began to glow, showing the locations of paths through the forest around them to the stadium.  “Let’s go!” Yang shouted.

They grabbed their gear and headed through the forests, merging onto the crowded trails and hiking along while talking and joking, everyone feeling a camaraderie with those supporting the same teams as them and a friendly rivalry with those supporting the other team.  

The stadium rose out of the forest like a mountain.  It was so large, Jaune was sure that at least the Hogwarts castle would fit inside, if not the entire school property.  His jaw dropped as he stared out at the massive, golden structure in awe.

Ruby and Yang’s reactions were much the same.

“How did they hide this from...everybody?” Jaune asked as they stood in line to have their tickets checked.

“Lots and lots of Muggle-repellant charms,” Taiyang answered.  “Lots of Aurors and Magical Law enforcement patrolling the woods here too, keeping curious people away.”

When they got to the front of the line, the woman at the gate checked their tickets.  “All the way up,” she said with a smile, apparently awed at how they’d gotten such prime seats.  “Enjoy the match!”

Going up the stairs wasn’t fast.  For one, there were a lot of stairs.  For two, people moved in and out of the stadium, up and down the arena, from all sorts of different entrances, and with the stadium’s size, people got lost easily or wandered around to find another vantage point for a picture.

Finally, the little group reached the Top Box.  Ornate purple and gold seats sat in short, neat rows.  And they’d been the first to arrive! Quickly, Ruby, Yang and Jaune ran to take seats in the front row, and Taiyang joined them, looking over the huge pitch with its golden rings and advertisement display, amazed at the fact that they’d soon witness a historic event.

Although they didn’t end up sitting for long.  Taiyang made them stand up every time someone important came into the box, and they had to shake hands with everyone.  The Minister of Magic, the Bulgarian Minister of Magic...it felt like the procession of important people would never end.  

Finally, the youngest members of the Top Box recognized one of the faces coming through.  A family, each with white-blonde hair and sharp blue eyes, walked past. “Jacques!” the Minister of Magic, Cornelius Fudge, said, greeting him as he filed into the second row from the front.

“Fudge,” Mr. Schnee said, his voice tinged with an accent Jaune didn’t recognize.  “How are you?”

“It’s a pleasure to see your family again.  And how old are the children now?”

“Weiss is fourteen, and Whitley is twelve.  Both have done quite well in their studies at Hogwarts.”

“Excellent, excellent.  Keep up the good work!” the Minister encouraged as the Schnees took their seats.  “Jacques made a generous donation to St. Mungo’s Hospital for Magical Maladies and Illnesses,” he told Taiyang.  “His family are my guests tonight.”

The Schnees made no effort to acknowledge them, and that was fine with Jaune.

Just as the stadium seemed to be nearly full, Ludo Bagman joined them in the box, his face red from running up the stairs.  He turned to the Minister, a huge smile on his face. “Ready?”

“Ready when you are, Ludo,” the Minister said, getting comfortable in his chair.

Ludo Bagman amplified his voice, and began his commentary.

“Welcome, ladies and gentlemen, to the four hundred and twenty second Quidditch World Cup finals!”

The crowd roared.

“And now, without further ado, let me introduce the Bulgarian team mascots!”

From the Bulgarian side of the field, what appeared to be women streamed out of the team area and onto the field.  They had beauty beyond anything Jaune had ever seen--it had to be supernatural. Their skin literally glowed like moonlight as their hair flowed around their shoulders more smoothly than silk.  Jaune was in love from the moment he saw them.

For Ruby and Yang, it was funny to watch the men swoon in their trances, their dad slamming his hands over his ears and shutting his eyes to block it out, and Jaune going all moony, practically swooning in his seat.

Finally, the Veela left the stadium, much to the crowd’s disdain.  They’d finished their dance.

Jaune looked like a kicked puppy dog as they walked off the field.  His disappointment seemed almost too exaggerated to be real.

Then the Irish team mascots shot out of the Irish team’s locker room like comets--no, they were comets!  Brilliant, green and gold comets, which broke into smaller flares to pain rainbow patterns in the sky before reforming into one massive comet, from which something rained down.

“Gold!” Yang cried as a shower of coins fell into their laps, leading everyone to scramble and grab as much of the fallen treasure as they could.  

But the gold was soon forgotten as each team’s players flew out to be announced and fly laps around the stadium as the crowd cheered.  

The Quidditch match was the fastest the Hogwarts students had ever witnessed.  Ludo barely announced one Chaser’s name before another got possession of the Quaffle.  Ireland scored three times before Bulgaria scored once, and with every ten points scored, the teams’ mascots put on more little shows.

It looked for a moment like everything had gone wrong for Ireland when a feint by Krum found the Irish Seeker on the ground, tended by Mediwizards.  As Yang tried to assure Ruby he’d be fine, he stood up, waved his arms victoriously, and hopped back on his broom.

The match continued as if it had never stopped.

Another foul, and even the referee proved he wasn’t immune to the Veela, being caught off guard by one little show and practically throwing himself at their feet, much to the combined secondhand embarrassment and amusement of the crowd.

“Mostafa is now trying to eject the Bulgarian mascots from the field!” Ludo Bagman announced after the referee regained his senses.  “We’ve never seen this before...oh, this match could get nasty…’

A short argument between the referee and the Bulgarians ensued, then everyone took to the air to resume the match.

A few fouls later, and the increasingly rude words and gestures being formed by the leprechauns met their match with the Veela’s anger.  The women--now resembling demons more than supermodels--rushed across the field to meet the giant green and gold middle finger, and a brawl began as they threw fire from their hands.  Ministry officials tried to break up the fight, but no one seemed to care all that much. The Quidditch above, after all, was far more exciting.

The match ended when a bloodied Krum caught the Snitch while Ireland was ahead, and lost Bulgaria the match.

“That was crazy!” Ruby shouted over the cheering around them.

“I thought catching the Snitch meant that your team won,” Jaun said, confused by what had happened.

“No, the Snitch ends the match and gets your team 150 points!” Ruby yelled back.  “You can still lose if you catch the Snitch!”

“Kind of dumb if you ask me!” Yang added.

“That’s why you don’t play Quidditch!” 

“Well, our team did not play badly,” a strange voice said from behind them.  The Bulgarian Minister lamented his team’s loss...in English.

“You speak English!” Fudge exclaimed.  “Why did you let me mime everything all day?”

The Bulgarian shrugged.  “It amused me.”

“And as the Irish team performs a victory lap, the Cup is brought into the Top Box!” Bagman bellowed, and Ruby and Yang both spun around to see the procession of players flying towards their seats.

Suddenly, everything around them lit up with white light as the box was highlighted for all to see.  Mere feet away, some wizards handed the huge golden Cup to Minister Fudge, who struggled awkwardly with it.

And then, the most stunning thing happened.

The Bulgarian team came through their box to shake hands with the Minister of Magic and other important officials, followed by the Irish team, who were handed the cup after they had all come through.  The Quidditch players were close enough to touch! Ruby nearly squealed with happiness.

After another victory lap by the Irish, this time holding their trophy aloft, the lights dimmed, advertisements started playing again, and everyone began to file out of the stadium.


	3. The Riot

Taiyang shook the kids awake.  “Come on, get your shoes on, you need to go,” he said, over and over, until they sat up and started to move.

“What’s going on?” Ruby asked as she rubbed the sleep from her eyes.

“You need to get your shoes and run.  All of you. Stay together, and I’ll find you.  They’re rioting outside, and I don’t want you caught in the middle.  Go through the woods, try to avoid crowds.”

As the sounds of screaming reached their ears, fear dispelled the last of the exhaustion from their bodies.  

“Where are you going?” Yang tugged on her boots.

“I’m going to go help the other Aurors get everything under control.”

Ruby, Jaune, and Yang emerged from the tent.  Around them, in the spotty firelight, they could see people running past, running away from something coming toward them, a group of people wearing black robes and moving as one body, laughing and shouting mirthlessly as they waved their wands above them...moving something in the sky.

Someone shot a jet of fire from their wand and torched a nearby tent. The blaze illuminated Roberts, a woman, and two children being lifted above them and controlled and contorted like puppets on strings by the people in masks and cloaks.

Yang pulled Ruby’s arm. She and Jaune were watching the sick display as if in a trance, and now really wasn’t the time for that.  “We have to go!” she reminded them before dashing off into the woods. Ruby and Jaune came to their senses and ran right on her heels, although they quickly went from running, to jogging, to walking as their feet left the trails and they found themselves pushing their way through the undergrowth.

“Ow!”

“Jaune!” Ruby cried.

“Stupid root,” Jaune cursed, brushing himself off and standing up.  “I’m good.”

“Head more towards the stadium,” a voice said, emerging from out of the trees.  Weiss Schnee, in a black robe, strode towards them. “They’re coming this way.”

“What are they doing, Weiss?” Jaune asked.

“They’re after anyone who’s not a Pureblood human wizard,” she said, stepping forward and placing one manicured nail in the center of Jaune’s chest.  “Which means you.”

Weiss pulled a mask down over her face and pulled her hood over her pale hair.  “I’m supposed to be scouting. I’ll lead them away from you. But you need to move now!”

Fresh screams tore through the trees.  A boom like a gunshot and a bright flash nearly illuminated the four of them together.

“Go!” Weiss hissed, and they forced their way through the trees until the noise from the mob had faded away.  They didn’t encounter anyone else for another ten or fifteen minutes after that.

Ruby sat down on a tree stump.  “I think we’re probably far enough now.  Who knows how deep these woods go?”

Jaune and Yang sat down on a nearby log.  “Screw this. It’s not like anyone’s going to care if we’re underaged right now.” Yang pulled out her wand and lit it.  

Ruby did the same.

Jaune felt his pockets for his wand, but came up empty.  “Guys? I think I lost my wand. It’s not in my pocket anymore.”

“You probably left it in the tent,” Ruby suggested.  “We had to leave pretty quickly.”

“Yeah, Ruby’s right.  There was a lot of confusion.  You probably just left it.”

“I hope so,” Jaune said, but he sounded unconvinced.

“What are you kids doing here?” Ludo Bagman approached them, presumably from the direction of the path.  He looked exhausted.

“The riot?” Ruby asked.  “Dad told us to get away.”

“Riot?”

“They’ve got Muggles and they’re playing with them like puppets,” Yang explained.  “You haven’t heard?”

“Damn them!” he swore, and vanished with a pop.

Ruby looked where the man had stood.  “That’s a bit worrying that he didn’t know what was going on.”

Yang nodded absently.

“Are we not going to talk about how he just vanished into thin air?” Jaune asked, exasperated.  “Like, that’s definitely not normal!”

“It’s called Apparition,” Yang explained.  “It’s a way for adult wizards to travel. Dad does it when we’re not with him.  You might not have seen it before because Hogwarts is charmed so you can’t Apparate on the property.”

“Oh.”  Jaune felt dumb for making a big deal out of it, but in the awkward silence, they heard something else: footsteps through the woods.  Twigs cracking. Leaves rustling.

But as hard as they tried, they couldn’t even see a silhouette in their dim wandlights.

“Hello?” Yang shouted.

But she got no response.

The footsteps faded into the distance, but the person hadn’t gone.  Just as everyone started to relax once again, a shout echoed through the woods: “Morsmorde!”

A flash of green light in the direction from which they’d heard footsteps, then their hiding spot was bathed in a sickly glow as the outline of a woman’s face with a small smile, sharp eyes, and an elaborate, bun-like hairstyle floated above them.

“What is that?” Jaune asked as it began to dissipate, and darkness crept over them again.

“Creepy,” Yang stood up and looked at the sky.

But they couldn’t get far. Popping sounds filled the air from every direction. Many wizards had just Apparated around them, and Ruby’s heart froze as she realized that they all had their wands out and pointed at them.

“Duck!” Ruby shouted, dragging Jaune and Yang to the ground with her, and not a moment too soon. Each wizard in the ragged circle launched a Stunning Spell simultaneously at their location, which would have knocked them out and then some.

Ruby dared to raise her head again once the jets of red light had vanished into the forest.  

“Those are my daughters!” someone yelled, and Taiyang stode towards them, breaking the circle.

But at the same time, animal noises rose out of the woods, along with the sounds of renewed, terrified screaming.

“They’ve summoned them!” shouted one of the other Aurors.

“Get the children to safety,” a woman ordered.  

“Grab on,” Taiyang commanded them, but they stood slowly, confused and worried about what had just happened around them.  “Hurry!”

Ruby and Yang each grabbed his hands, and Jaune felt as if there were nowhere left for him to get a hold.  At least, not awkwardly. “Just grab my arm,” Taiyang urged him, and Jaune did so as Taiyang checked to make sure everyone was grabbing tightly.  

“Nikos, wait for me.  I’ll be right back.

Pyrrha’s dad, who stood further back in the crowd, nodded.  

And without any warning, they found themselves standing in the Xiao Long living room and not the woods.

“Do not leave the house!” Taiyang commanded, just before he Apparated right back with a pop.

“I hope he’s okay.” Ruby sounded worried.  “What happened back there? There was that woman in the sky...and then the Aurors found us, and then what?”

Jaune absentmindedly stroked his chin as he thought.  “A terrorist attack.”

“What’s that?”

“It’s a Muggle term,” Jaune explained.  “It’s when a group of people attacks a bunch of innocent people to try and use fear to send a message.  Like...sending bombs to people in the mail because you don’t like who they voted for, that kind of thing.  I mean, think about what Weiss said. Muggles, Muggleborns, and Faunus were the targets of the attacks, right?  So obviously there’s some kind of Pureblood agenda here.”

“But why something like the World Cup?” Yang asked.  “Wouldn’t they have known the place would be crawling with Ministry people?”

Jaune shrugged.  “Everyone’s paying attention to it.  Maybe they think that the attention would make it the quickest way to send a message.”

Yang walked over to turn on the lights and began to fill the kettle with water.  “I hope they find the guy that did it.”

“Me too,” Ruby agreed.

No one really felt like doing anything, nor going to sleep, so they mainly sat in silence, every so often asking each other a question about what had happened.

Finally, just as dawn rose, Taiyang appeared in the living room, looking like an exhausted, muddy mess.  A twig stuck out of his blonde hair.

“Did you get him, Dad?” Yang asked.

Taiyang shook his head.  His eyes had a strange emptiness to them.  “The others from the Ministry want to talk to you.  They’ll be arriving soon.” He ran one hand through his hair, and pulled out the stick.  

A knock on the door startled everyone, and Taiyang opened it. “They’re just inside,” he said, and Mr. Nikos, Ludo Bagman, and Mr. Crouch followed him inside.  Taiyang waved his wand, and three more seats materialized at the table, then he walked into the small kitchen to put on more tea for the guests. 

“I need your total honesty,” Mr. Crouch said to the students as Taiyang walked into the room with a tray full of the rest of the mismatched teacups in the house, “as being honest now will help you make a better case during your trial.  Which one of you conjured the Impression?”

“That green thing?” Jaune asked.  “Floating in the sky?”

“And what trial are you talking about?” Yang demanded.  “We didn’t do anything!”

“Yang!” Ruby scolded her sister for snapping at the Ministry officials.

Taiyang set down the tray.  “None of these kids would have been able to conjure an Impression.  I know their capabilities. I had all of them in class last year.”

“Excuse me, Mr. Xiao Long, if I do not believe that you have purely altruistic motives in defending their character,” Crouch said.  “As I recall, we are in your house, with your daughters. Of course you would want to defend them at all costs, even though they were found at the scene of the crime.”

“Then maybe instead of having casted the Impression themselves, they saw who did!”

“Well, we heard someone moving around and shouting,” Ruby said.

Mr. Nikos reached into his jacket and pulled out a wand.  “This was found several yards away from where you children were sitting.”

“That’s my wand!” Jaune exclaimed.  “I dropped it while we were running from the mob!”

“A likely excuse,” Crouch scoffed.  “Seems as if it was thrown...perhaps after an incantation had been cast from it…”

Taiyang looked angry now.  “Jaune is from a Muggle family.  He wouldn’t know the Old Gods at all!”

“It could just as easily have been one of your daughters too...picking up a friend’s dropped wand and doing a quick spell--”

“Do you remember what happened to Summer?” Taiyang stood his voice took on an intense characteristic that Ruby and Yang hadn’t ever heard before.  “The only woman my girls ever knew as a mother? Yeah, right. Like they’d even think about going near anything having to do with the Old Gods after that.”

Mr. Nikos put a hand on Crouch’s shoulder.  “This interrogation isn’t getting us anywhere.  As I’ve been saying, the suspect likely picked up the wand, cast the spell, and Disapparated.  Taiyang, I highly doubt your kids had anything to do with this beyond being in the wrong place at the wrong time, which is entirely forgivable given the chaos last night.”

“Yes, I think we’d best be going,” Ludo Bagman agreed.  “I’m afraid this entire mess has created quite a good deal of paperwork for all of us.”

Taiyang showed them out the door.  When it shut and he turned around, he looked exhausted again.

“A lot of people died last night,” he said, one hand still on the door, his gaze fixed on the floor in front of his feet.  “It was a bloodbath, all those people in one place. The mob, we could have handled that. The creatures, though--with so much panic and so much ground to cover, we didn’t have a hope.”

“Grimm?” Ruby whispered.

Taiyang nodded.  

“Who was that lady floating in the sky?” Jaune wondered.  

“A hologram of one of the Old Gods, Salem.  The Goddess of Darkness, basically. A lot of the old wizarding families believe that the gods first granted select humans and Faunus magical abilities and created magical creatures.  To cast an Impression is to make it clear that what you’re doing is a tribute to that god, and when Salem’s involved...people get superstitious. I wouldn’t be surprised if blood magic was used to help summon even more Grimm, not that they wouldn’t have already been attracted by the fear and panic already.”  Taiyang rubbed his eyes. “Most of the Old Gods have been forgotten, but not that one. Cults pop up every so often.” He straightened. “I’m going to get cleaned up and try to catch some sleep. How about you three go to the payphone and tell Jaune’s family we’ll be bringing him back later today?”

 

Ruby, Yang, and Jaune put on fresh Muggle clothes and walked to the post office to use the payphone.  “I have never used one of these things before in my life,” Jaune muttered. “Didn’t people used to leave used needles in payphones so that you’d get HIV if you reached in the coin return?  Wasn’t that a thing?”

Ruby and Yang just looked confused.

“Never mind,” Jaune said, feeding it quarters.  It rang for a minute before his mom picked up. “Hi Mom...yeah, the match was a lot of fun...No, I didn’t cause any trouble...We’re coming back later today, Mr. Xiao Long got held up by some security stuff….No, it’s fine, Mom….Mom!...I’ll ask.”  Jaune covered the mouthpiece with his hand and turned to Ruby and Yang. “Are we coming back with the fireplace thing?”

“I think they disconnected your fireplace from the network on Sunday,” Yang said.  “We might just Apparate into your house, to be honest. I’m not sure Dad thought that far ahead.”

Jaune spoke into the phone again.  “Uh, we might just teleport into the house this time...We did it after the match, Mr. Xiao Long just teleported us back to their house...You know, some dumb people got drunk and started a small riot.  Mr. Xiao Long just didn’t want to leave us alone there with so many drunk wizards, you know?...Yeah, we’ll call before we come….Love you Mom. Bye!” Jaune hung up the phone. “Telling her we were in the middle of a terrorist attack was out of the question.  Trust me, she’d lose her mind.” As they walked back, he explained further. “Terrorism is a huge deal in the Muggle world. When a big attack happens, everything just stops and it’s all anyone can think about.”

 

That afternoon, they called the Arc household before Apparating Jaune back into his living room.  “So, I heard there was some trouble after the match,” Mrs. Arc said to Taiyang. “Some hooligans rioting or something?”

“I wish it had been that simple,” Taiyang said.  “But yeah, you get around a hundred thousand wizards in one place with lots of alcohol and not enough security, and that’s the kind of thing that you should expect.  Some tensions between a few of the older wizarding families got way out of hand.”

“Oh, sounds rough.”

“Yeah, it was.  Anyway, here’s your son, safe and sound.  I think that the kids had fun for the most part, right?”

“Yeah, the match was great,” Ruby said.

“Thanks, guys,” Jaune said, waving.  “See you at Hogwarts.”

“Definitely!”

 

When they got home, Taiyang left to go to the office.  A lot of work needed to be done after the World Cup debacle, and even though he was supposed to be on vacation, all Aurors were needed to help for this case.

Once he was out the door, Ruby turned to Yang.  “Professor Trelawney was right!” she told her sister.  “The Dark Mistress will rise again. Last night, her Impression was in the sky!  That’s about as risen as you can get, don’t you think?”

“Ruby, it’s just the old families fighting again.  Do you seriously think that Trelawney’s ever actually serious about anything?  Remember: she believed my prediction that a train would fall out of the sky and kill you.”

“You didn’t see her.  She was in a trance and everything!”  They rehashed the same argument that they’d had ever since that night in the Shrieking Shack when they’d learned the truth about Yang’s mother.

“And she could just be acting!  Or high on her own perfume!”

Ruby huffed and walked off.  She’d never convince Yang at this rate.  She couldn’t wait to go back to Hogwarts.  Someone there would have to understand what she’d figured out and would see its significance.  If she could even tell anyone, that is, without revealing that she’d run into her supposed-uncle murderer and discovered the reality of his supposed crimes.


	4. Back to Hogwarts

Taiyang waved to the girls as they pulled the carts with their trunks on them toward the train.  “See you next year! Or maybe even sooner than that…” He smiled mischievously, but as Yang and Ruby got caught up in the crush of people heading towards the Hogwarts Express, they didn’t have a chance to turn back and ask him what he meant.

“Like we’d go back for Christmas,” Yang said, smiling over her shoulder.  “There’s just way too much to do at Hogwarts.”

Weiss and Whitley walked towards them, looking for an empty compartment.  “...wanted to go to Beauxbatons, but father says Ironwood is too paranoid about his own reputation, which will run the school into the ground.  So even though Ozpin puts up with all those Mudbloods, he can actually run a school,which I assume is a respectable trait. Although I do wish we could learn the Dark Arts instead of whatever muck they’re calling Defense these days…” Whitley said to his sister.

Yang scoffed at him.  “He’s practically a clone of his father.”

“Yeah.”

“Should have gone to Beauxbatons, let’s all be honest.”

Eventually, more of their friends joined them as the train ride continued and the weather got worse.  Jaune, Blake, Ren and Nora all crammed into the tiny compartment and filled Ren and Nora in on the world cup match.

“I wish we could have gone,” Nora said.

“Well, we invited you!” Yang said.  “Why not?”

Nora’s cheeks reddened.  “Just stuff going on.”

“We were in the Top Box and everything,” Ruby said.  “I don’t think I would have missed it for the world.”

“Yeah, and I hope you enjoyed it, Rose, because I doubt it will ever happen again.”  Cardin stood in the doorway of their compartment, leaning lazily against it as if he owned the entire train.

“We didn’t invite you, Cardin,” Yang said. “So scram.”

Cardin ignored her.  “Entering, Valkyrie? It seems that you can’t resist showing off whenever you’re given the chance.”

“Enter what?” Nora asked.

“Although Xiao Long’s just as likely to try, considering she thinks she’s so much better than everyone else.”

“Try what, Winchester?”

A smile crossed Cardin’s face.  “You mean you don’t know? Is your father really that lowly in the Ministry, Xiao Long?”

“The Triwizard Tournament, he means the Triwizard Tournament,” Blake said, her irritation obvious.  “Some of us know how not to talk about confidential information, Winchester.” She stood up and slammed the door in his face as he and his goons laughed outside.

“Blake, what’s that?” Ruby asked.

“We’ll find out tonight,” she said.  “I’m pretty sure. My dad mentioned it to me over break.  But yeah, it’s confidential until the official announcement is made.  So pretty much forget I ever said anything.”

No one forgot about Blake’s outburst, but they didn’t bring it up again for the rest of the train ride.

 

The hungry, cold students waited patiently through the Sorting, then dug into their food with gusto.

“I haven’t had food this good in months!” Nora crowed as she dished stuffing onto her plate.

“You’re lucky to get some,” Nearly Headless Nick said.  “There was some fuss in the kitchens earlier.”

“What happened?” Ren asked as Nora shoveled food into her face.

“Peeves,” Nick said with a shake of his head.  As always, he asked to attend the feast. As always, he was denied because of his refusal to act like a civilized being.”

Nora winced.  “Ooh, yeah. Saw him throwing water balloons at the Hufflepuffs on the way in.”

“What did he do?” Ren asked.

“Oh, you know--flooded the soup pots, clattered pots and pans, blew flour everywhere--caused a great wreck and terrified the House Elves, I must say.”

“House Elves?” Nora asked.

“Elves whose job it is to perform chores and serve their master.  I daresay that Hogwarts is their largest employer in all of Britain.”

“Isn’t that slavery?” Ren asked.

“Oh, no,” Nick replied.  “House Elves see the work as its own reward.  To free a House Elf is to give it the greatest insult possible.  They’re not like humans, Ren. They crave work, dislike acknowledgement, and detest freedom.”

“So the school doesn’t mistreat them?”

“No, no.  Ozpin is very conscientious about the House Elves and their working conditions at Hogwarts.”

As Nick floated away, Ren looked at his plate, disturbed.  “House Elves sound a lot like slavery.”

“Not really, though,” Nora said.  “Slavery is forced. Sounds like House Elves just want to work.”

“If you say so.”  But he only picked at his food for the rest of the meal.

 

“Now that you have eaten, I must ask for your attention,” Professor Ozpin said, and although his voice was barely amplified, the entire Great Hall fell silent immediately.  “Mr. Filch would like me to inform you that the list of items banned within the school grounds now includes Screaming Yo-Yos, Fanged Frisbees, and Ever-Bashing Boomerangs. The list of the four hundred and thirty seven items prohibited on campus can be viewed outside of Mr. Filch’s office, if you feel that it is necessary to do so.”

“Yeah, right,” Yang whispered.  “Like anyone would.”

“And as always, the Forbidden Forest is still off-limits for students, as is Hogsmeade village for those not yet third year students.”  Ozpin paused, clasping his hands in front of his green robes. “This year, the School Quidditch Cup is also cancelled.”

At this, the school went into an uproar.  “What?” Ruby shouted, banging her palms flat on the table in a mix of surprise and anger.  Other Quidditch players seemed to be having a similar reaction, no one could see any reason why the school Quidditch cup might be cancelled.

“Attention!” Ozpin called, and the students quieted.  “This is because Hogwarts will host the Triwizard Tournament this October, an event that I would consider a worthy substitution for your traditional Quidditch Cup.”

At that, the wizards from older families cheered, while those who hadn’t grown up nearly as close to wizarding culture merely assumed that something interesting would be occurring and shushed their classmates so that they could learn what, exactly, was happening.

“I see that a short explanation is necessary,” Ozpin said, noticing the varying reactions among his students.  “The Triwizard Tournament was established around seven centuries ago in order to foster friendly competition between Europe’s three main wizarding schools: Hogwarts, Beauxbatons, and Durmstrang.  One champion is selected to represent each school, and the champions compete against each other in three challenges. The tournament was held every five years, rotating locations every year, until the death toll became too high for the competition to continue.”

“Death toll?” Jaune asked.  Several other mutters throughout the hall indicated that he wasn’t the only one at Hogwarts with misgivings about conducting a tournament with a body count.

“However, this year, modifications for the contestants’ safety have been made to the tasks and all involved hope for an exciting, successful event.  Professors Lionhead and Ironwood, the heads of Durmstrang and Beauxbatons respectively, will be arriving with their eligible students in October. I trust that you will give them all a suitable reception and ensure they feel at home at Hogwarts.  Although I know that everyone would ideally enjoy a shot at the prize money and the glory being Triwizard Champion would bring, one of the safety measures that James, Leo, and I have agreed upon is an age restriction. Only students 17 or older and legally able to consent to taking responsibility for the risk of participation in the tournament may compete.  As it is my responsibility to ensure that no underaged students attempt to make their way into the tournament, I suggest that the ineligible shouldn’t bother trying. And now, although it is late and your lessons begin tomorrow, I have one last announcement: Professor Mad-Eye Moody will be teaching your Defense Against the Dark Arts classes this year. Good night.”

And with that, Professor Ozpin strode offstage. Excited chatter began throughout the hall as people stood to return to their dorms.  

“That age restriction is not fair,” Yang said.  “I mean, this is a once-in-a-lifetime shot!”

“Could be literally once-in-a-lifetime if you die trying,” Jaune said.  “Hard pass here.”

“Do you know how much the prize is?” Ruby asked Blake.

“A thousand Galleons, I think,” she answered.

Yang’s eyes grew to the size of dinner plates.  “Oh my god.”

“That’s more money than I can even imagine,” Nora said.

That night, everyone dreamed of the possibility of greatness.


	5. Professor Moody

Their first day went smoothly until Cardin Winchester thought that Nora would make a good target.  As she walked with Ren through the Entrance Hall to dinner, someone came up behind her and ran into her shoulder, pushing past her.  “Whoops! Thought you were a pile of rags!”

“Shut up, Winchester,” Nora said, turning her nose up at him.

“Wonder what kind of mother you have to have not to love you enough to buy you real clothing…” Cardin smirked.

Ren grabbed Nora, who trembled with rage.  “She said shut up,” he said quietly.

“Or doesn’t she have a mother to buy her clothes?  Living off welfare, clinging to her boyfriend for comfort--”

_ CRACK!   _ Nora had pulled free of Ren’s grip and had punched Cardin in the nose hard enough that blood poured down his face and he fell backwards onto his bottom.

“You don’t get to talk about my mother,” Nora said, glaring down at Cardin.  She leaned in. “And Ren’s not my boyfriend.”

The sound of applause came from behind them, cutting through the whispers and horrified gasps of the students who had witnessed the brawl.

“That’s how it’s done, Valkyrie!” Professor Moody’s voice boomed through the chamber.  “Ending the fight before it can begin! Intelligent tactics!”

“Professor Moody!”  The students parted to make way for the stern Professor Goodwitch as she strode towards the fight with single-minded purpose.  “We do not reward fighting at Hogwarts!”

“The attack was started with cowardly provocation!” Moody exclaimed.  “Valkyrie had to defend her honor!”

“Defending your honor does not justify physical violence, Miss Valkyrie,” Professor Goodwitch snapped.

“With all due respect, you didn’t hear what he said, Professor,” Ren said.

“That doesn’t matter!  Detention for you, Miss Valkyrie, for fighting.  Mr. Winchester, fifty points from Slytherin for deliberate provocation!”  Goodwitch finally seemed to notice the crowd of staring students. “Well?”

They dispersed.

“That was kind of amazing, though,” Ruby said to her sister as they sat down at the Gryffindor table.  

“Yeah, no one else would have even thought of letting Nora off for something like that.”  Yang sighed. “I don’t want to wait until Thursday to have him for class.”

 

Thursday came, and after the spectacular display in the Entrance Hall, all the Gryffindors couldn’t wait for Mad-Eye Moody’s class.

“I bet he’s gonna teach us how to duel!” Yang theorized.  “Like, real combat magic.”

“They wouldn’t teach us that, Yang,” Ren countered.

“Did you even look at the book, either of you?” Blake said.  “The textbook is all about self-protection. We’re probably learning countercurses and counterjinxes this year.”

The class fell quiet as Professor Moody approached the classroom and studied them, his electric blue, roving glass eye moving manically within its socket.  He took roll before beginning the lesson, his eye fixing on everyone in turn as he called their name.

“Put your books away,” he said gruffly.  “You won’t need them.”

The students did so without hesitation.  Almost everyone preferred practical lessons to anything else.  “According to Professor Xiao Long, you’ve covered Dark creatures--Boggarts, Red Caps, Hinkypunks, Grindylows, and Kappas, correct?”

The students nodded.

“You’ve never studied curses before, though, which puts you far behind your peers in knowing what wizards can do to each other.  I’ve got one year to catch you up, as Ozpin and I agreed, so let’s get into it, shall we? Curses come in all strengths and forms, some you can imagine and some you don’t want to.  Now, the Ministry says that you should only learn countercurses, but Professor Ozpin thinks you have more mettle than the Ministry. So I’m going to show you illegal Dark curses--better to know what you’re up against, I always say, lest you find yourself off guard.  Miss Valkyrie provided an excellent example of that the other day with her sucker punch. After all, who would expect a physical attack at an institute of magic? Just like with her attack, a magical foe will not prepare you for their next curse--they’ll just cast the spell.”  He paused and surveyed the class. “Which curses are most heavily punished under wizarding law?”

He called on Ruby first.  “I think Dad mentioned the Imperius curse one time?”

“Ah, yes.”  Moody pulled a small jar from behind his desk.  He twisted the lid off and emptied a small spider into his palm.  With his other hand, he pointed his wand at it: “Imperio.”

The spider began to dance, swinging itself on its silk like an acrobat, doing flips and cartwheels and other gymnastics.  Some people laughed at the spider’s antics, and Moody sent a harsh glare in their direction.

“Would it be funny if I did it to you?” he barked.  He made the spider roll in circles as he spoke. “I could make it throw itself off of my hand, drown itself, throw itself down one of your throats...anything I wanted to.”  He tipped the spider off his hand and back into the jar.

“The Imperius curse can be fought, but it takes strength of character above all else to throw it off.  Not everyone’s got that strength. Best to avoid getting hit if you can. CONSTANT VIGILANCE!” At his shout, the students practically fell from their seats in surprise.

Returning to his normal tone, Moody continued the lesson as if he hadn’t surprised his students.  “Anyone know another?”

Blake raised her hand.  “The Cruciatus Curse,” she said quietly.

Moody enlarged the next spider for this demonstration, told the class they needed to see better to get the picture.  “Crucio,” Moody said in a regretful tone.

Immediately the spider rolled into a ball and began to writhe, its legs convulsing violently as it found itself in the most horrible pain imaginable.  Nora glanced over at Ren and saw him clutching the edge of his desk, his knuckles white. He looked horrified at what they had to witness.

After several seconds of this torture, after students had started covering their eyes, Moody ended the spell and carefully put the spider back in its jar.  “Pain. You don’t need tools for torture, or any knowledge of the human body, to cause pain with a spell,” he said quietly. Moody turned his attention back to the class.  “And the last one?”

“Avada Kedavra,” Yang whispered.  

“The Killing Curse,” Moody confirmed.  “The worst of them all.” He demonstrated the curse on the last spider, killing it instantly but with a sense of violence that sent chills down the students’ spines.  “There’s no counter. No block for this curse. And not a soul has survived. This is a curse that requires a good bit of power--as Miss Xiao Long demonstrated, saying the incantation alone won’t do anything.  You need to have intent, and power behind that intent. But why would I show you a curse you couldn’t fight? Because you need to know. You may face these curses one day, and you need to know. CONSTANT VIGILANCE!”

The class jumped again.

“Those three curses we just covered, they’re the Unforgivable Curses.  You cast one, you end up spending the rest of your life in Azkaban. It’s that simple.  But this is what you will fight, and so you need prepared for the worst. Everything after this will be easy.  Now, I’ve got some notes for you…”

They spent the rest of the lesson copying notes.

All Ruby could think about was how one of those curses had killed her mother.

Blake knew that those curses had been used against the Faunus, used to hurt and oppress them.

Ren saw his father’s death over and over, the way he begged and writhed in pain as the blade pierced his flesh, over and over.

Nora saw Ren’s notes had wet spots on them.

At the end of class, most people marveled at what they’d just seen, supposedly forgetting that they’d just witnessed the worst magic ever developed.

“That was just sick,” Yang muttered.  “I feel like I need to take a shower for a week straight.”

Ruby nodded, not saying anything.  She was lost in thought.

Her mother had died, instantly.  Ruby wondered if she’d felt pain.

Behind them, Nora helped Ren gather his things, leaving them the last people in the classroom.  “Ren, how about you come to my office...have some tea…,” Moody offered. He fixed his eyes on Nora.  “Valkyrie, are you okay?”

“Yeah, it’s just--”

“I know it’s harsh, but you need to know,” Moody emphasized again.  “You’re young right now, you think you’re invincible. But you’re not, and one day you’ll need to defend yourself.”  His tone softened. “Your heart’s in the right place, Valkyrie, and you’ve got a spirit fitting your name. But your friend will be fine without you for a few minutes.”

Nora took the hint.

 

After dinner, Jaune went to get his books to start his Divination homework and saw Ren in their shared dorm, a book open on his lap.  “Hey, Ren,” Jaune said. “You okay?”

Ren nodded, sitting up.  “Yes, thanks. Is dinner over?”

“Uh, yeah.”

“That’s fine.”  Ren set the book on his bed and stood up to stretch.  “Do you understand the horoscopes from Divination?”

Jaune shook his head.  “I don’t have any idea what she goes on about in that class.  I know Ruby and Yang just make up tragedies though, and pass them off as real predictions.”

Ren shrugged.  “Works for me.”


	6. The Delegates

Over the next few weeks, the students threw themselves into their classes as they only increased in difficulty.

Professor Moody gave them the most difficult assignment, though: to throw off the Imperius curse.  “Ozpin wants you to know what it’s like, to learn to throw it off before your lives depend on it,” Moody said, justifying why he was going to deliberately perform illegal magic on them.  

Jaune performed gymnastics for them, things he wouldn’t have done on his own, while he was cursed.  But Ruby, when she was cursed to skip, tripped and fell on her face.

“Rose is resisting it!” Moody crowed.  “Let’s do it again...watch her eyes, that’s where you’ll see it...!”

Moody made her do it several more times until Ruby could regain her balance on her own.  

Yang struggled, but didn’t quite break free like Ruby.  Blake shook off the curse like it was nothing. 

“She knows what she believes in!”

Ren and Nora both struggled.

Ruby limped out of class at the end of the period with her bruised and battered friends.  “It’s like Professor Moody thinks that there’s just bogeymen everywhere waiting to attack us,” Yang observed once they had gotten out of earshot of the classroom.

“Forget that!” Nora wailed.  “It’s not like we’ve even got time to care about the stupid Imperius curse with so much other work!”

Professor Goodwitch would have none of their groaning at her assignments, though.  When Nora dramatically slouched over at her desk after another Transfiguration essay had been assigned, she narrowed her eyes.  “Your Ordinary Wizarding Levels are absolutely crucial to your success, I hope you understand.”

“But those aren’t until next year!” Yang exclaimed.

“And yet, Miss Belladonna is still the only one of you who can transform a hedgehog into a pincushion that doesn’t squirm,” Goodwitch replied.  “Now get to work.”

 

When the students returned from Care of Magical Creatures that evening, it seemed like the entire school had gathered in the Entrance Hall, everyone talking excitedly about a giant sign that had just been posted:

_ TRIWIZARD TOURNAMENT _

The delegations from Beauxbatons and Durmstrang will be arriving at 6 o'clock on Friday the 30th of October. Lessons will END HALF AN HOUR EARLY

Students will return their bags and books to their dormitories and assemble in front of the castle to greet our guests before the Welcoming Feast.

“Oh thank god!  We get out of Potions!” Jaune cheered.

“I have to tell Pyrrha!” a Ravenclaw girl squealed before darting away.

“Pyrrha?” Ren asked.

“Pyrrha Nikos,” Jaune explained.  “The Seeker for Ravenclaw?”

“No way,” Yang said.  “The other schools would just think of us as red-haired goody-two-shoes if she were champion.”

“You’re just upset she beat Ruby last year,” Jaune pointed out.

“I’m allowed!”

“Shut up and just be excited!” was Ruby’s advice, and it seemed like the whole castle got stuck in that mode for the next week.

 

On the thirtieth of October, when the bell rang to release them early from Potions, everyone nearly ran out of the room, half of them not even bothering to do any sort of cleanup, which meant an irritated Professor Oobleck followed them, threatening to dock House points for “disorganization and mess”, but no one was listening, and no one cared.

Everyone got ready with hats and cloaks, and then they had to undergo an examination by Professor Goodwitch before they could proceed to join the welcoming party out front of the castle.

“Miss Rose, straighten your hat.” “Miss Xiao Long, button your cloak.” “Miss Belladonna…”  She just gestured to the top of her head, and Blake unwound the maroon ribbon from around her ears with a frustrated sigh.

Finally, they lined up outside to wait.

When the other schools hadn’t arrived at exactly six on the dot, the students became restless.  

“So, are they flying or something?” Ruby asked.

“Maybe their train’s late,” Nora suggested.

But before everything got too out of hand, Professor Port’s voice carried over the crowd.  “I believe that the Beauxbatons delegation is on the horizon.”

The students looked around.  “It’s over there!” Blake cried, pointing over the forest.

A mass moved towards them, a huge, amorphous shape.  A huge fleet of winged horses, each one with a pure white coat and wings, flew over them.  The horses swooped over them in formation before landing in an orderly V-shape on the drive in front of the Hogwarts students.

A tall man with mostly dark salt-and-pepper hair dismounted his pegasus, and the other students followed.  The students and their headmaster all wore white riding suits, and all carried decorative swords at their sides.  They stood at attention like a military unit while their headmaster walked over to greet Ozpin with a handshake. The shorter man with the messy, white hair and the dark green robes seemed different in every conceivable way from the strait-laced man standing before him.

“Professor Ironwood,” Ozpin said.  “Welcome to Hogwarts.”

“Thank you.  It appears you’ve done an excellent job maintaining the castle over the years.”

“Thank you.  It has not been a small task.”

“No, I wouldn’t think so.”  Ironwood turned and gestured towards the Beauxbatons students.  “My delegates, Ozpin.”

As a unit, they saluted before returning to attention.

“Has Leo arrived yet?”

“Not yet,” Ozpin said.  “Would you like our Care of Magical Creatures teacher to tend to your horses?”

“I’m sure the students would appreciate that.”  Ironwood made a gesture with one hand, and the students marched over to the edge of the Hogwarts greeting party, while Hagrid came forward and began to lead the pegasii to the stables.

Shortly, the novelty of the Beauxbatons students wore off as they, too, began to relax and talk amongst themselves.

The arrival of the Durmstrang students was heralded by a buzzing noise, which became louder and louder as their mode of transportation approached.  

“It sounds like an engine,” Ruby noted.

“They can’t all be traveling by car,” Blake said.

“Look!” someone else called.

On the horizon over the lake, a huge shape appeared, growing larger by the second.  It looked like the Durmstrang students had arrived via a large blimp covered in dark wood.  Its multiple propellers created the buzzing noise the students had heard, and with a delicacy most of them didn’t expect, it touched down lightly on the lawn in front of the students.  A staircase extended from below the door to the ground, and a door in the side of the blimp opened. 

A lion Faunus man walked out with several students following him.  “Greetings, Professor Ozpin,” he said, extending a hand for the Hogwarts headmaster to shake.  “It’s been a long time. How are you?” Despite his bulky appearance, Lionheart spoke softly.

“Quite well, Professor Lionheart,” Ozpin replied.  “And yourself?”

“Likewise.”  Professor Lionheart looked up at the castle looming over them.  “Hogwarts. It’s good to be back.”

 

Everyone went inside for the feast, the Durmstrang and Beauxbatons students scattering themselves amongst the Hogwarts students at the tables.

Weiss had seen her.  She’d practically lead the Beauxbatons delegates.  She hadn’t seen her in years, but Winter looked...she looked like she was doing fine.   Her long hair was done up into a ponytail that came almost to her waist and curled far more than Weiss’s own.  She had their father’s lean build, and his icy blue eyes. 

Winter sat alone at the Slytherin table, clearly having planned this.  She nodded at Weiss when she saw her.

“Weiss,” she said calmly when her sister sat next to her.  “You’ve grown since I’ve seen you last.”

“You too,” Weiss said, not sure how to greet the sister she hadn’t seen in years.  “Your hair…”

“As long as it doesn’t get messy, Professor Ironwood allows us to wear it however we like.”

Whitley joined them then, obviously curious to see whom Weiss was talking to.  “Is that Winter?” he asked, absolutely baffled.

“What do you think?” Weiss shot back.  “Or did you forget she goes to Beauxbatons?”

“I was only six when she left, sister.  I barely remember her, after all.” 

“And how are you, Whitley?” Winter asked.

“Fine, thanks.”

“Are you entering, Winter?” Weiss wanted to know.

Her sister nodded.   

“Are you sure about that?” Whitley asked.  “Father won’t be happy if you bring attention to yourself.”

“And it should be obvious by now, Whitley, that I do not care what Father thinks.  He’s made his opinions about me very clear by this point.” She smiled, and her eyes sparkled.  “It’s so good to see you again. Both of you.”

 

Professor Ozpin stood at the head of the staff table to open the feast.  “Good evening to everyone, particularly our guests,” he said. “Allow me to formally welcome you to Hogwarts.  I hope that you all have a pleasant stay.”

A girl with dark skin and green hair in the tan Durmstrang robes rolled her eyes.  Ruby scowled at her.

“The tournament will commence after the feast.  But until then, please enjoy yourselves and the hospitality Hogwarts has to offer.”

To Nora’s delight, this was the biggest feast any of the fourth year students had ever seen.  A huge variety of dishes covered the tables--some recognizable, some foreign, some savory, some sweet.

“Are you gonna eat that?” The green-haired girl pointed with one long nail to a rice dish sitting near Ruby.

“Uh, sure,” Ruby said, and as she passed it down, Ren and Nora both took some.

“Thanks.”  The girl served some to herself and to a messy-haired boy next to her, with whom she seemed mostly only interested in gossiping.

“Hey, Mr. Crouch and Mr. Bagman are here,” Yang said, pointing with her fork to the staff table.

“I mean, they do work in international magical cooperation and magical games and sports, Yang,” Ruby reminded her sister.

“I know...it just looks really crowded up there right now.  Like, Oobleck’s all elbows. I’d hate to sit next to that guy for a feast.”

“Yang!”

Finally, the dishes vanished from their tables.  Everyone had eaten their fill. Now that they were all satisfied and comfortable in the warm castle, Ozpin stood again.

“The moment will come shortly, at which the tournament will begin.  But not yet. Before we open the casket, some procedures must be clarified in order to ensure that the event proceeds smoothly this year.”

“They’re bringing out a casket?” Jaune asked, horrified.

“It’s just a box!” Blake hissed back, her attention fixed on Ozpin and the elevated table at the head of the room.

“But first, let me introduce Mr. Bartemius Crouch, Head of the Department of International Magical Cooperation, and Mr. Ludo Bagman, Head of the Department of Magical Games and Sports.”

Polite applause filled the room for several seconds.

“Mr. Bagman and Mr. Crouch assisted myself and Professors Ironwood and Lionheart with the preparations for this tournament, and without them, we would not be able to have this event.  As a result, they will be joining the other headmasters and I in judging the challenges.” Ozpin nodded to someone behind him. “The casket, please, Mr. Filch.”

Filch appeared carrying a very old, very ornately decorated chest, and a card table, which he set up and put the chest on in front of Ozpin.

“The three tasks for this year have already been determined, as have their date and times.  These tasks are designed to test the champions’ magical abilities, their daring, their intelligence, and their ability to keep a cool head under pressure.  As you know, three champions participate in the tournament. The champion who earns the most points while competing in the challenges will win the Triwizard Cup.  But for the selection of the champions, we have,” Ozpin unlatched the box as he spoke, and lifted something from it, “the Goblet of Fire.”

Ozpin set the bronze cup brimming with blue-white fire on the casket on the small table.

“Potential champions have twenty-four hours to submit their name to the Goblet for consideration once it has been placed in the Entrance Hall.  Apart from the fact that measures will be taken to ensure no one underage submits their name to the Goblet, I have one last warning: Submitting your name to the Goblet creates a binding contract, under which you are obligated to compete in the tournament.  There is no changing your mind once you drop your slip into the Goblet. If you are chosen, you have no option but to participate, so please consider carefully whether or not you are prepared to go through with this commitment. Good night.”

 

Immediately after the feast, everyone bustled out of the Great Hall, excited to see the Goblet up close.

Ruby found herself at the front of the crowd with the green-haired girl and her boyfriend, who had his hand very obviously on her butt as they walked.  Professor Lionheart too had headed in their direction.

“Thank you,” Lionheart said as she let them pass while she waited for her friends.  But then Lionheart stopped, glancing back at her. “Your eyes…” he murmured as someone nudged Ruby out of the doorway.

“Her eyes are silver.  What’s it to you?” Moody growled at Lionheart, whose eyes widened as he moved out of the way, letting the rest of the students out to return to their dorms.

 


	7. The Goblet

Unusually for Hogwarts, everyone woke early that Saturday with a singular purpose: to watch and see who put their name in the Goblet.

“I think it’s odd that we haven’t seen anyone from Gryffindor yet,” Blake said, leaning on the staircase.  Yang nodded in agreement.

Two Gryffindors did approach, but they were only sixth years, and had attempted to sneak past Ozpin’s protections for the cup.  Unlike the others who had been able to cross the thin line around the Goblet, they seemed to hit an invisible wall.

“Ouch,” Yang said, wincing in sympathy for them as they rubbed their aching faces.

“It’s not like they didn’t expect nothing to happen, did they?  I mean...some of the guys in our House seem like they got hit by a few too many bludgers during their childhood,” Blake said.  

“That Slytherin guy earlier though...he looked like it.”

Blake giggled, bringing her hand to her mouth in a way Yang found strangely adorable.

Nora and Ren came down the staircase, followed by an exhausted-looking Ruby.  “What on earth are you guys waiting for?” Nora asked them as she jumped down the last three steps of the staircase.  “The food’s going to get cold!”

“Just seeing who’s going to put their name in the Goblet,” Blake said.  

“Who’s entered so far?” Ren asked.

“The dick from Durmstrang entered...all of the Beauxbatons people did it at once, which was kind of weird...a couple of the Slytherins, I thought I saw Pyrrha Nikos…” Yang rattled off a few more names.

“The dick from Durmstrang?”  Blake sounded confused.

“He sat by us last night at dinner, remember?  Spiky hair, hands all over that girl?”

“If the Goblet is supposed to choose the most worthy, it must have a mechanism for judging the character of those submitting their names,” Ren mused.  “Perhaps it will realize that he’s not suitable to participate.”

“I hope it chooses a Gryffindor!” Nora exclaimed, stretching her arms in the air.  “Brave! Bold! We’d be perfect.”

“If Coco were still here, she’d enter,” Ruby said.  

“She’s becoming an Auror, did you hear?” Yang asked her sister.

“That’s great!”

Together, they all headed into the Great Hall for breakfast.

 

No one could wait for that evening.  Normally, feasts attracted a great deal of attention and excitement alone, but that night, no one came to the Great Hall for the food.  

Everyone was more focused on the Goblet at the head of the hall on its marble pedestal than their own goblets on the table in front of them.

Finally, Ozpin stood up, and in a testament to just how excited everyone was, he didn’t have to bring the students to attention.  They fell silent on their own. He walked to the Goblet, stood, silently, and dimmed the lights with a wave of his wand.

“What’s he doing?” Jaune whispered when he didn’t move or say anything for several seconds.

“Did something go wrong?” Yang wanted to know.

But they didn’t have much time for wondering and considering. The Goblet’s flames suddenly turned from ice-blue to brilliant red, and a piece of parchment shot out of the fire and into the air, floating down like ash from a log popping in a campfire.

The students fell silent again.  No one had to tell them the meaning of what they’d just seen.

“The champion for Durmstrang,” Ozpin said, “is Mercury Black.”

The dick from Durmstrang stood from where he sat with his girlfriend at the Slytherin table and walked through the Great Hall as everyone applauded.  He smirked, like he had the competition in the bag. 

The room fell silent when the goblet’s flames turned red once again.

“The champion from Beauxbatons will be Winter Schnee!”

As Winter walked between the tables, she kept her head held high despite the whispers that followed her.  Almost like she didn’t hear the people talking about how the disgraced former Schnee heiress was now a champion…

“Is she related to Weiss?” Jaune asked.  

Blake nodded, eyes fixed on the girl walking towards the antechamber where the champions would get their instructions.

“But she wasn’t at the Quidditch World Cup.”

“She got disowned or something,” Yang explained.  “I dunno, the old families get complicated sometimes.”

The flames turned red once again.

“And the champion from Hogwarts is,” Ozpin paused for a moment, “Pyrrha Nikos!”

“Go Pyrrha!” Jaune shouted as the hall broke into the loudest, most enthusiastic cheers yet.

“What’s she gonna do, throw books at the challenges?” Nora said, but without any venom.

Once the applause died down, Ozpin spoke again.  “Congratulations to our champions for being selected to represent your schools in the competition.  As for the rest of you, I expect a display of good sportsmanship as you cheer for your--”

But Ozpin never finished his sentence.

The flames had turned red a fourth time.

Another slip flew through the air.

“Ruby Rose,” Ozpin read from the paper.

The entire hall sat in stunned silence for a moment before Ozpin motioned for her to come forward.

Just as shocked as everyone else, Ruby walked numbly to the same door the other champions had gone through. Whispers followed her through the Great Hall.

She pulled open the heavy door and looked inside.  Pyrrha, Winter, and Mercury stood around awkwardly, as if they hadn’t really known how to react to their selection.  Suddenly, Ruby felt intensely aware of her own immaturity. The three years between the older students and herself felt like an impassable chasm.

“Do they need us back in the Great Hall, Ruby?” Pyrrha asked.

Ruby had no idea how to answer her, nor how to tell her the truth.  She opened her mouth, but said nothing.

She jumped when she felt hands on her shoulders.

“Ladies and gentleman, we have an amazing, impossible piece of news for you!” Mr. Bagman exclaimed from behind her.  “Ruby Rose here is the fourth Triwizard Champion!”

But Bagman was the only one excited about this.

“She’s far too young,” Winter said.  “My sister’s age, at most.”

“Her name came out of the Goblet anyway, Miss Schnee,” Bagman reported, taking his hands off Ruby’s shoulders.  

“Obviously, Schnee, someone here screwed up,” Mercury said contemptuously, “and now we have to compete against the kid.  Honestly, why are you worried? If Beauxbatons is all it’s cracked up to be, you shouldn’t have any problems.”

Bagman looked like he wanted to reply to Mercury about the use of such a flippant tone, but he didn’t get a chance.  At that moment, the door opened and a large group of people pushed their way into the antechamber, lead by Professor Ozpin.

“Professor Ozpin, is this true?” Pyrrha asked, looking genuinely concerned.  “Is Ruby competing?”

“I’m afraid so, Miss Nikos.  At this stage in the tournament, she cannot back out.”  Ozpin looked worried.

“What are you trying to play here, Ozpin?” Professor Ironwood demanded.

“I agree that we deserve an explanation.” Professor Lionheart appeared behind his colleague.  “Did the age line fail? Is this some kind of prank?”

“Have you ever known Ozpin to have made a mistake, James?” Goodwitch folded her arms over her chest.

“Enough, Glynda,” Ozpin said quietly.  He looked Ruby straight in the eye. “Did you put your name into the Goblet of Fire?”

“No,” Ruby squeaked out.

“Did you ask an older student to do it for you?”

“No!”

“Oh, like just asking her if she did it will solve everything!” Ironwood exclaimed.

“If Professor Ozpin believes that Miss Rose didn’t use any deceit or trickery to put her name in the Goblet, then that should be good enough for you too!”

“Enough, both of you!”

It was the first time Ruby had even heard a hint of irritation in the headmaster’s voice.

“Why don’t we see what the objective judges think?” Lionheart gestured to Bagman and Crouch.

“The rules state that those whose names come out of the Goblet must compete,” Crouch said evenly, emotionlessly.

“I insist on resubmitting my students’ names!” Ironwood said firmly.  

“The tournament doesn’t work like that, though!” Bagman interjected.  “The Goblet only lights at the beginning of each tournament!”

“Then this shall be the last tournament Beauxbatons will compete in.”

“Good,” a voice said from the doorway.  

“What does any of this have to do with you, Moody?” Ironwood demanded.

“It’s simple, Ironwood.  Rose has to compete now, and so does Schnee.  You can’t back out. Lionheart can’t back out.  There are bigger things to worry about here, I think.”

“Oh, enough with your neurotic ramblings!”

“The fact is, someone put Rose’s name into the Goblet.  Maybe to give Hogwarts an extra advantage. Maybe not. You said it yourself, she has silver eyes.  With all the increasing cult activities, it’s quite possible that one or more people present for the tournament could intend to use this opportunity to take her out.”

“There’s really no need to be so grim, Alastor!” Lionheart admonished him.  “The girl’s right here, for heaven’s sake!”

At that, the adults all seemed to realize that Ruby was actually present and watching the entire exchange.

“I don’t want to compete,” Ruby said quietly.  “I know I have to. And I will. But I didn’t want to do this.  I swear I didn’t submit my name to the Goblet.”

With Ruby’s input having been given, the argument resumed.

“Ozpin, you must have had your reasons, but why choose someone as unstable as Moody for Defense?” Ironwood said with an air of exasperation.  “You had to have had other options!”

“It’s not instability if there’s reason to believe someone tampered with a powerful magical artifact in order to force it to act outside of its parameters!” Moody growled.  “Only a skilled witch or wizard could have Confounded the Goblet’s enchantments to allow it to accept a fourth school!”

“It seems you’ve given this a lot of thought!”

“That’s quite enough,” Ozpin said.  “What is done cannot be undone. Miss Rose will compete in the Triwizard Tournament.  And I expect everyone to act civilly while discussing this matter.” He sent a stiff glare to Ironwood and Moody.  “Now, Mr. Crouch, will you introduce the first task to the competitors?”

Mr. Crouch looked as if he had been lost in thought, but recovered his composure quickly.  “The first task is designed to test your ability to think under pressure and adjust to rapid changes of circumstance,” he announced.  “All you may know is that the task takes place on November 24. Regarding the task, you may not ask for or accept offers of help from teachers or peers.  You are only permitted to use your wand to complete the challenge. Only once you have completed the first task will you learn about the second. On perhaps a lighter note, however, you are all exempt from the end-of-year finals in order to allow you to adequately prepare for the trials ahead.  Is that all, Ozpin?”

“Yes, thank you.  Gentlemen, Glynda, I think that will be all for tonight.  It has been a long evening and the students should have a chance to visit with their friends before bed.”

 

Ruby walked back to Gryffindor Tower with Pyrrha, who smiled at her.  “This is not the rematch I expected,” Pyrrha said once they’d gotten out of the Great Hall.  

“Me neither.”

“Well, on the bright side, we have a better chance to bring home the Cup for Hogwarts than the other schools have.”  Pyrrha smiled. “Good night, Ruby.”

“Good night, Pyrrha.”


	8. Disbelief

Gryffindor House nearly rioted when Ruby crawled through the portrait hole.  “So that’s why you were so tired this morning!” Nora exclaimed, seizing Ruby in an aggressive hug and sweeping the shorter girl off her feet.  “You’d snuck out and put your name in the Goblet!” She set Ruby down and put her hands on her shoulders. “How’d you do it?”

“I didn’t,” Ruby said, shrugging Nora off and fighting her way through the Common room.

“Come on!  There’s food and everything!” Nora shouted after her.

But Ruby didn’t care.  She just wanted to do...nothing.  She wanted to sleep. She wanted to talk to Yang, to figure out what the hell had happened.  She didn’t know what she wanted to do, but partying wasn’t included on the list of possibilities.

Yang sat in their shared room, on her bed with one of Blake’s novels propped up on her knees.  “Congrats,” she said, without looking up from her book. 

“Yeah, right.”

Ruby’s tired tone got Yang to look up.  “Come on. You’re the luckiest person in the entire school.  Don’t be a dick about it.”

“What?  Are you saying I put my name in the Goblet of Fire?”

“How else would it have gotten in there, Ruby?”

“Someone else put it in.”

“People didn’t just go and throw random names in the Goblet, Ruby.”

“Professor Moody thinks that it could be an assassination attempt.”

Yang huffed.  “Professor Moody thinks boogeymen are hiding around every corner waiting to hex us and ruin our childhoods.  Besides, who would want to kill you?”

“A cult that thinks people with silver eyes have special powers?  I dunno!” Ruby was getting genuinely frustrated with her sister now.

“That sounds like something the Muggles would make up.  And it sounds even dumber coming from you.”

“It’s what Professor Moody said!”

“Screw you, Ruby.  You know what I would have given to participate in the competition, and you hid it from me to get the glory all for yourself,” Yang said, slamming her book shut.  “Don’t you need to get to bed anyway? Need your beauty sleep to look pretty for the press, right?”

“Shut up!” Ruby shouted.

“You shut up!” Yang shouted back, and turned off the lights in their room with a flick of her wand.

 

When Ruby got up, Yang and Nora had already left their room.  Blake sat on her bed doing homework.

“Hey Blake.”

“Morning, Ruby.  What’s up?”

“Not much.”  Ruby fell back onto her mattress.  “Other than nobody believing me.”

“I believe you,” Blake said, and Ruby turned her head to look at her.  “You looked more surprised than any of us last night.”

“Thanks, Blake,” Ruby said.  “I wish Yang had the kind of confidence in me that you do.  My own sister can’t believe I wouldn’t have entered!”

“I think she might actually be jealous, Ruby.”  Blake closed her book and turned to face Ruby. “You have a lot of opportunities she missed out on.  People look at Yang and see a troublemaker who looks just like her mother. But they look at you and they see the Gryffindor Seeker and Champion.  Honestly, I think she just wants the attention.”

“She can have it.”  Ruby rolled back onto her back.  “I don’t want to wear fancy clothes.  I don’t want to be interviewed for the Daily Prophet.  I don’t want glory or Galleons. I just want to be normal!”

“Yang will understand if you talk to her.”

“I tried that last night!”

“I know.  I could hear you guys screaming at each other when I was in the shower.  Maybe you should let her cool down first.”

Ruby’s face reddened.  “I don’t think you’ve ever seen Yang hold a grudge before.”

 

Yang had gone to the library instead of to breakfast that morning.  She had a letter to write and she didn’t want to run into her sister.

_ Dear Uncle Qrow, _

_ Just wanted to let you know how I’m doing.  I just started my fourth year at Hogwarts. I know Dad says we shouldn’t write to you and all that, but I just needed to get a few things off my chest without being told I’m a jealous drama queen. _

_ Hogwarts is hosting the Triwizard Tournament this year, and somehow Ruby’s a champion.  I know I should be supportive, but it pisses me off. Ruby’s always gotten the good things.  She’s the Gryffindor Seeker, she can make friends with literally anybody, and I can tell most of the teachers like her more than me.   _

_ Hope you’re well. _

_ Yang _

 

Yang folded the letter and slipped it into her bag before heading up to the Owlery to send it off.  She’d considered adding more--about her mother, in particular. Ruby was lucky. She might not think she was--Summer was still dead, after all.  But at least she didn’t have to live with knowing her own mother didn’t care about her enough to reveal herself during the year spent as Yang’s pet, that her own mother tried to use her as a pawn in a sick game, that her own mother had just flown away without so much as a goodbye when Yang was no longer useful to her.  

When Yang thought Raven was dead, she’d daydreamed a lot about what she’d say if she could meet her, how her mother would respond and give her hugs and tell her how proud she was of her.  Now she had met her mother, and she wasn’t anything like the loving, maternal figure Yang had imagined. 

And she didn’t even have the comfort of daydreams anymore to take away the pain.

Ruby, at least, still had those.

 

Weiss wasn’t having an easy time of it either.

Overnight, she’d gone from being that quiet Slytherin to a total outcast as everyone realized that the Beauxbatons champion was the disinherited Schnee.

She saw them in the Common Room, whispering about her as she wrote her essay about illegal curses.

People moved out of the way when she sat for meals.

Whitley didn’t have this problem.  He joined all the others in bashing their sister, in making her seem like a devil, in confirming to the world that the Schnees were better off without her and that she didn’t have the ability to win the tournament.

With Whitley as their source of gossip, and Weiss refusing to defame Winter, everyone thought that the weird girl who didn’t prioritize her Purebloodedness above everything else was now weirder than ever.

 

Meanwhile, no one seemed to know what to make of Ruby.

Without Yang around, she didn’t have a close confidant.  Jaune and Blake seemed to believe her, but Nora didn’t. Ren managed to get her to tone down her accusations a little bit, but if they ended up alone together, Nora ended up pestering her into a shouting match.

The whole of Ravenclaw seemed to take it personally that Ruby had become the fourth champion.  She couldn’t seem to get through to anyone that she hadn’t entered and didn’t want to compete.

The last time she’d felt this lonely was all the way back in her second year, when Cinder Fall’s cursed journal had started to sap her soul and forced her to isolate herself from her friends.

Maybe it was even worse this time because it wasn’t a curse.


	9. Rita Skeeter

A knock on the door interrupted double Potions with the Slytherins.

Professor Oobleck opened it.  “Yes?”

Ilia Amitola stood outside the classroom.  “Mr. Bagman wants Ruby to come upstairs.” She fidgeted with the end of her ponytail.  “It’s something to do with the tournament.”

“Miss Rose, get your things.  You can make up your antidote another time.”

Ruby did as she was told as Oobleck cleared the contents of her cauldron with a flick of his wand.  She followed Ilia out of the dungeons.

“Congrats,” Illia said.  “On being champion, I mean.”

“Thanks.”  Ruby hoped her tone accurately conveyed how much she hated it.  “What do they want us for up there?”

“Pictures, I think.  Some people from The Daily Prophet are here.”

“Just great.”

Once they’d gotten to the classroom, Ilia held the door open for Ruby.  “Good luck.”

“Thanks.”

Once the door closed, Mr. Bagman clapped his hands together.  “Good! We’re all here. Now, Ozpin’s just upstairs with the expert who will be conducting the wand-weighing and the other judges.  Once that’s done, we’ll take a few photos for a small piece that Miss Skeeter here,” he gestured to the witch he stood with, “is writing for The Daily Prophet about the tournament.”

Skeeter’s eyes sparkled as she laughed.  “Don’t you underestimate me now, Ludo!” But something rang false about her whole display.  “Actually, while we wait for the headmasters, would you mind if I interviewed Ruby? You know, a few words from the youngest champion...a little color…”

“Certainly!” Bagman turned to Ruby.  “That is, if you agree.”

“Sure,” Ruby said.

“Excellent!” Skeeter practically pulled Ruby from the room.  “Let’s find somewhere quiet where we can talk. Ah, here should work.”

Ruby felt rather unimpressed with the reporter.  The door she pulled open lead to a broom closet. Still, Ruby followed her inside.

Skeeter pulled on a lamp cord and a dim, yellow glow filled the tiny space.  Skeeter sat on a box and balanced her pad and quill on her lap. Ruby awkwardly took a seat on a barrel across from her.

“You don’t mind if I use a Quick-Quotes Quill for my notes, do you, Ruby?  I’m better at interviewing if I don’t write at the same time.” She didn’t wait for a reply before setting the quill on the paper and letting it stand straight on its tip.  “Testing, testing, this is Rita Skeeter…”

_ Attractive blonde Rita Skeeter, whose quill _

Rita tore off the sheet and tossed it into her bag.  “Great. Now, Ruby, why did you enter the tournament?”

But Ruby couldn’t tear her eyes off of the quill.

_ Ruby Rose, an adorable girl of fourteen, _

“Ruby, what made you decide to enter the tournament?”

“I didn’t,” Ruby answered.  “I didn’t even want to compete!”

“Come now, Ruby.  That baby face won’t fool me.  But no worries, the readers love a rebel.  You’re absolutely perfect for this.” Rita smiled indulgently at her, but had the same sense as Ruby that this wasn’t going anywhere.  “How do you feel about the tasks ahead? Nervous?”

“Yeah, nervous.”

“Champions have died in the past, haven’t they?”

“Ozpin said that it’s supposed to be safer this year.”

“Ozpin says, Ozpin says lots of things, Ruby.  What do you say? Your mother died when you were young, correct?  Might the trauma and having to live up to the beauty of your older sister--”

“I didn’t enter!  I don’t know how my name got into the Goblet!  And how do you know about my mom?” Ruby folded her arms over her chest.

“It was quite the news at the time,” Skeeter said, barely pausing before continuing her relentless questions.  “How would your mom feel about your participation in the tournament?”   
How was Ruby supposed to know?  She glanced at the Quick Quotes Quill again.

_ Tears fill those startling silver eyes as Ruby speaks of the mother she barely remembers. _

“I don’t think that thing is all that accurate,” she said. 

Before Skeeter could respond to the observation, the door to their little closet opened.  Professor Ozpin stood before them, silhouetted in the bright light of the hallway behind him.     
“Professor Ozpin!  What a pleasure to see you again!”  She stuffed her quill and pad in her bag before standing to shake his hand with exaggerated vigor.  “Did you read my piece about the International Confederation of Wizards Conference?”

“Yes,” Ozpin said curtly.  “Come along, Miss Rose. The Weighing of the Wands cannot begin if one of the contestants is locked in a cupboard, Rita.”

When she returned to the room, Ruby saw the other champions standing before a long table which the judges sat behind.  Professor Ozpin took the last empty seat on the end, right next to a tall, lanky man that looked vaguely familiar to Ruby.

“Mr. Ollivander will be evaluating your wands to ensure that they are in working condition for the competition,” Ozpin explained.

“Miss Schnee, may I examine your wand first?” 

She handed over her wand without a word.  

Ollivander ran it between his fingers, speaking as he examined it.  “Hm, an elm wand...inflexible...thirteen and a half inches. Beautiful construction.”  He summoned a bouquet of flowers from the tip before handing it back to Winter. “And in fine working order too.  Miss Nikos, may I see yours?”

Pyrrha handed over her wand.  “Hmm, chestnut, twelve inches.  A core of unicorn hair.” He cast a spell that emitted a beautiful chord from the wand before handing it back to her.  “You’ve cared for it well, Miss Nikos.”

“Thank you,” Pyrrha said, taking it.

“Mr. Black?”

Mercury surrendered his wand to the wandmaker.  

“A rather interesting combination...blackthorn and dragon heartstring, although not the most flexible of wands.”  With a flick of his wrist, a flock of birds flew out of the tip of the wand. “But working just as it should.”

Ollivander turned to Ruby.  “And now you, Miss Rose.”

Nervously, Ruby handed over her wand.  

Ollivander smiled.  “This is one of mine, isn’t it?  Yes, I remember it well...Pear, fourteen inches, flexible, phoenix feather...I was always very proud of this wand.”  He shot a fountain of water from the tip. “And it’s still in perfect condition.’ Ollivander turned to Ozpin. “It seems as though they are all prepared for the competition, sir.”

Ozpin nodded once.  “Very well then. Rita, if I recall, you wanted some photos?”

“Oh yes.  All the judges and champion...and then, perhaps, a few individual shots.”  She smiled at the thought.

They proceeded to spend at least an hour getting their pictures taken.  First, they had to stand as a group. Then they had to shuffle around so that they stood in different positions.  Then small groups of judges and champions got their pictures taken. Finally, everyone had individual photos.

Despite having done almost nothing, faking a smile for so long and pretending to like Mercury had left Ruby exhausted.  She went back to her dorm, deciding to forgo dinner, and took great joy in flopping down on her bed.

 

Yang got an owl from Qrow after dinner that night.

_ Firecracker-- _

_ I wish I could give you a real answer here.  Unfortunately, I can’t risk it in case the letter is intercepted.  Be alone at the Gryffindor fireplace at 1AM on Nov. 22. _

_ Your dad’s been keeping me up with all this tournament business. I get that you’re mad at Ruby, and probably jealous too.  But what happened with your sister is very, very suspicious, and although not much gets past Ozpin, I’d be careful. A lucky person isn’t lucky--they just have someone watching their back.  And I think someone’s watching Ruby’s back right now who doesn’t wish her well, if you know what I mean. _

_ Let me know about the meeting. _

_ Qrow. _

Yang folded the letter and stowed it in her nightstand just as Ruby came into the room.

 

Ruby threw The Daily Prophet aside.  “She got it all wrong!” she said, putting her head down on the table.  “Oh my gosh this is so humiliating!”

“It’s not even good journalism,” Blake said, flipping through her copy with disgust.  “The language is all flowery, and she describes you like you’re four years old, not fourteen.  Whoever would believe this is an idiot.” She shut her own copy, folding it and stuffing it into her bag.

“Someone will.”

“Then I guess we know who the idiots are.”

And it looked like there were a lot of idiots at Hogwarts.

Yang seemed to take the article personally.  Whenever she saw Ruby, she’d give her the stink eye and ignore her more thoroughly than usual.  The only people who seemed to have any sympathy that hadn’t known Ruby for years were the other champions.

“That woman has no integrity,” Winter sneered after seeing Skeeter still skulking around campus.  

“Everyone will forget it soon enough, Ruby,” Pyrrha reassured her.  

The only one who didn’t seem to care was Mercury.  And to be honest, Ruby didn’t care that he didn’t care.  Mercury always seemed too full of himself anyway.

 

Ruby, Blake, and Jaune went to Hogsmeade the weekend before the challenge.  Blake told Ruby that it would do her good to get her mind off the challenge.  But visiting the candy and joke shops just didn’t hold the same allure that it had the previous year, especially with such a dark cloud hanging over her.

Seeing Rita Skeeter outside Honeydukes just made everything worse.  “I knew I shouldn’t have let you guys talk me into coming today.”

“Well, you let us,” Blake said.  “So we’re going to have some fun.”

“We could at least go to the Three Broomsticks, since that’s where she came out of.  Plus, it’s filled with students. We could just sit in the back or something.”

They found an empty table all the way in the rear of the pub in a dark corner.  From where they sat, they could see Ren, Nora, and Yang at another table. Yang was laughing at something Nora said, and Ruby felt a pang of anger and longing shoot through her chest.  If only she hadn’t been chosen by the Goblet of Fire, she could be sitting with her friends and laughing too!

“So, what’s Pyrrha like?” Jaune asked.

“What?”

“I mean, you see her a lot now,” Jaune said.  “I haven’t seen her a ton over the past couple years.”

“She’s nice, I guess.  I haven’t seen her all that much too, to be honest.  Only at the press stuff, really.”

Yang got up to go to the restroom, and Hagrid went over to talk to Ren and Nora.  

At Ruby’s table, they drank butterbeer and ate their Honeydukes purchases before heading back to the castle.

 

Early the next morning, Yang woke up and crept out of her dorm and down to the fire.  Thankfully, no one had decided to do any late studying in the Common Room, but she’d still have to be alert.  Yang sat down on the rug in front of the fire and crossed her legs in front of her.

Her uncle’s head appeared in the flames.  He looked way better than he had the last time she’d seen him.  His hair had been cut short and he’d slicked it back. Instead of a messy beard, he only had a few days’ stubble, and his eyes looked--brighter wasn’t the word, but maybe less dead?

“Uncle Qrow!” Yang whispered.

“How goes it, kiddo?”

“Eh.”  She shrugged one shoulder.  “It goes.”

“It’s good to see you again.”  Qrow glanced over his shoulder.  “I broke into someone’s house to use their fire,” he explained.  “So I can’t stay long. You know about the cult stuff that’s been happening, right?”

“Yeah.  But what does that have to do with anything?”

“Going after the Quidditch World Cup was a great way to send a message.  It also let us know one thing: there’s a helluva lot more people backing Salem than we thought.  So that’s what I was getting at in my letter. Yeah, you’re jealous. Suck it up, buttercup. Your sister could be in danger, especially with so many strangers wandering around Hogwarts.  She’s gotta focus on winning those challenges. You can help her by watching her back.”

“Ruby said that Moody suggested that someone might be trying to kill her,” Yang confessed.  

“Moody would say something like that.  No, Ruby ending up in the Triwizard Tournament isn’t the only weird thing going on.  Did you read the article about Ruby in The Daily Prophet?”

“No.”

“Well, it wasn’t pretty.  But that’s beside the point.  Moody got attacked right before coming to Hogwarts, which means someone didn’t want him there.  Someone knew he’d make their job more difficult than it needed to be. And people say Mad-Eye earned his name for a reason, that much is true, but ask anyone: Moody’s the best Auror we’ve ever had.  If I remember correctly, your dad even trained under him.”

“I might ask him about that,” Yang said. Something behind her creaked.  She held up a hand and her uncle stayed silent.

It sounded like footsteps.  Frantically, Yang gestured for Qrow to get out of the fire, and he got the message.  By the time Ruby had entered the Common Room, Yang had thrown herself into one of the armchairs.

“Yang?” Ruby asked.  “Who were you talking to?”

Yang almost told Ruby to go away.  Almost.

“Uncle Qrow.  He thinks someone’s out to get you by messing with the tournament.”

“He’s not the only one.”

“Listen, I’m sorry.  I know I haven’t been a great sister lately.”

Ruby looked surprised.  “Are you okay, Yang?”

“I don’t want anything to happen to you.  I love you, Ruby, and I’d be lost without you.  Qrow was right--we can’t fight right now.” She stood up from the armchair and walked towards her sister.  “If you’re going to survive this tournament, you’re gonna need people on your side.”

To Yang’s surprise, tears shone in Ruby’s eyes.  “I thought you hated me.”

Yang hugged Ruby.  “I couldn’t hate you.”

They returned to their dorm together.


	10. Dragons

Nora and Ren went to visit Hagrid that Sunday.  “Hey Hagrid! What’s up?” Nora asked.

“I thought you two forgot where I lived,” Hagrid said, and let them in.  

“Are you looking forward to the tournament?” Nora asked, petting Hagrid’s giant dog, Fang.

“I never thought I’d live to see another, to be honest.”

They talked for a little bit about school, about the different magical creatures Hagrid had been interested in recently, and, of course, about the tournament.  Hagrid attempted to serve them a cake he’d baked, but when attempting to cut it required a steak knife, Nora and Ren politely told him that they weren’t that hungry and just stuck to drinking tea.

As the sun dipped below the horizon and curfew drew closer, Hagrid seemed a bit lost in thought.  “If I show you somethin’ you’re not gonna tell anyone, right?”

“What?” Ren asked.

“Relax.  It’s just got to do with the tournament, and you can’t tell Ruby or Pyrrha, else they’ll get in trouble.”

“Okay.”  Nora leaned forward on her elbows.  “What is it?”

Hagrid lead them out of his cabin and took them around the perimeter of the forest.  The students had never been in this part of the property, and it was obvious that no one really used it.  Apart from a path worn in dirt, Nora and Ren found themselves brushing long grasses away from their legs and picking their way through shrubbery and over small logs, which Hagrid stepped over like they were just normal sticks.

On the opposite side of the forest, a huge pen had been constructed, attended by many men.  The creatures inside the pen, apart from shooting the occasional stream of fire from their maws, seemed to be largely restrained by huge chains connecting their necks, legs, and tails to posts and the spells from their guards.

“Dragons!” Nora whispered.

And indeed, the pen contained four huge dragons.

“Hagrid!  You’re not supposed to bring students back here!” one of the guards shouted, striding towards them from his post.  

“Thought they’d think the dragons were cool,” Hagrid said.  “Lie Ren is one of my best students, Charlie. He’s got a gift for dealin’ with critters.  And I made ‘em promise not to tell anyone.”

The man let out a frustrated sigh.  “Fine. Whatever. Just don’t bring anyone else back here.”  He started to walk away before turning back. “And make sure they don’t tell anyone!”

 

“Ruby, the first task is dragons!”  Nora barely waited for the door to their dorm to close before blurting this out.

Blake slammed her book shut.  “How on Earth do you know that?”

Nora winked.  “I have my ways.”

“Meaning, you talked to Hagrid?” Yang didn’t even look up from the miniature Quidditch figurines she was looking at.

“They have four dragons.  One for each champion.” Nora sat down on her bed and crossed her ankles.  “So there you go.”

“Does the fact that you just forced Ruby to cheat not bother you?” Blake asked.

“Not really.”

Blake sighed and returned to reading.

 

For every spare moment they could find, the four girls found themselves researching dragons in the library, hoping that maybe they’d find something they could use.

But they always came up empty.  There was no easy way to subdue a dragon, at least, not a way in the Hogwarts library.

To be honest, the only plan Ruby had at the moment was to just run and see if maybe she could outrace it?

Stupid plan, but at least it was one!

 

Ruby ran into Pyrrha on Monday morning.  Quite literally.

On her way to Transfiguration, Ruby saw Pyrrha turn into the same hallway.  

Ruby knew she only had one shot to get her attention and tell her.

“Ruby!  Where are you going?” Blake had asked, but Ruby kept walking.

“I’ll catch up with you guys in a minute!”

And as she walked, she fiddled with her bag, trying to find something.  Walking right into Pyrrha’s path.

Both of their books and supplies fell to the ground.  “The first task is dragons,” Ruby whispered. “Thought you should know.”

Pyrrha’s eyes widened.  “How do you know?”

“Doesn’t matter.”

She straightened up.  “Good luck in the first challenge, Pyrrha!” Ruby said, and kept walking, ducking into the bathroom.  She waited there for a minute before coming back out.

Professor Moody stood alone in the hallway.

“Come with me, Rose.”

“Actually, I have Transfiguration--”

“Don’t worry about that.  Come to my office.”

Ruby followed Professor Moody to the Defense office.  She took the seat across from him at his desk, which was covered in all sorts of weird gadgets, some of them with blinking lights and making all sorts of noises, while others sat silently.

“Those are my Dark detectors,” Moody said.  He gestured at a broken Sneakoscope. “Of course, some of them don’t work so well with all you students lying about why you didn’t do your homework all the time.”  He went around to his side of the desk and sat. “You did a good thing back there, kid.”

“But it was cheating!” Ruby hissed.

“And you don’t think Leo and James told their students about the dragons already, do you?  Cheating in the Triwizard Tournament has been around just as long as the tournament itself.”  He leaned back in his chair. “So, do you know what to do about that dragon, Rose?”

Ruby thought for a moment.  “Um, no.”

“Well, I’m not going to give you the solution.  I don’t play favorites. But I can give you some advice.  First thing is, play to your strengths. What are you good at?”

“I can fly pretty well…’

Moody nodded.  “So how can you get what you need to fly, Rose?”

A light bulb turned on in Ruby’s head.  “Thanks, Professor Moody!”

 

Ruby practiced the spell like crazy as often as she could, sending everything zipping around their dorm until Yang threw a pillow at her and told her she’d poke someone’s eye out if she kept summoning quills across the room.


	11. The First Task

Finally, the day came.  
Goodwitch approached Ruby at lunch to take her to the first task. Ruby dropped her sandwich onto her plate and stood without any further prompting. A chorus of “Good luck!” followed her as she followed Goodwitch out onto the school grounds and to a tent, not too far from the dragons’ pen but far enough that the champions preparing there wouldn’t be able to see what they’d be facing.  
“The key is, Miss Rose, to stay calm. Experienced witches and wizards will be supervising the task and are prepared to intervene, should they be needed.” She nodded once, as if reassuring herself. “Good luck.”  
Ruby entered the tent.  
The other contestants seemed to be trying just as hard as she was not to look nervous. Mercury stood with his arms crossed over his chest and a scowl on his face. Winter sat in one of the chairs, and although she appeared to be examining her fingernails, the tension in her posture was obvious. Pyrrha stood opposite Mercury, and took the first excuse to move by jogging the few steps necessary to meet Ruby at the front of the tent.   
“Oh, good, you’re here,” she said as Bagman stood up from his own chair.  
He clapped once, getting their attention. “It’s time to tell you what you’ll be doing. Once the audience has taken their seats, I will offer you this bag,” he held up a bag with several small objects creating lumps in the bottom, “from which you will select your opponent. Your task will be to face this opponent...and successfully collect the golden egg.” His excited demeanor only heightened the tension within the tent.  
And that tension only got more unbearable as excited voices and footsteps proceeded past their tent for what felt like hours as the audience assembled.   
Finally, the sounds faded. “Show the ladies how it’s done, Mercury,” Bagman encouraged, holding out the sack, which Mercury rolled his eyes and reached into, withdrawing a small, green dragon model marked with a number two. He threw it into the air and caught it in one hand easily, only his scowl betraying his emotions.  
Winter chose a red dragon marked with the number three. She set it on the ground by her feet.  
Pyrrha selected a grey dragon (number one), which she clutched in her fist the way a child holds a precious toy, or a security blanket.  
Ruby drew a different red dragon, this one with a spiked tail. She didn’t need the number to know she’d go last.  
“Now, Ms. Nikos, when you hear the whistle, you’ll be shown into the enclosure. In case you hadn’t figured it out, the numbers on your dragons indicate the order in which you’ll be going. Now, before I go commentate, can I have a word, Ruby?”  
Ruby followed him out of the tent, still carrying the dragon. Bagman lead her off to the edge of the forest, where they wouldn’t be overheard by those in the tent. “Do you need anything, Ruby? Is there anything I can do for you?”  
Ruby found herself surprised by such an open offer of collusion from one of the judges. “I’m good, I think. Thanks.”  
“Do you have a plan? Because you are the underdog here, Ruby. I don’t mean to insult you at all, but if you need a boost to help you keep up with your competitors…”  
“I’ve got an idea, yeah.” Ruby brushed her bangs out of her face.  
“No one will know.”   
“I really don’t need any help, Mr. Bagman.” She hoped she didn’t sound rude.  
At the sound of a whistle, Bagman straightened. “Gotta run!” He dashed off to the dragon pen.  
Pyrrha emerged from the tent. Ruby waved at her.  
She smiled back, but it looked shaky.

A man showed Pyrrha onto the field, letting her through a door in the stadium wall, which took her straight onto the field.  
Once the crowd saw her, they roared. It really wasn’t that different from a Quidditch match, and she could do that just fine.   
Of course, the illusion vanished when the gates at the other end of the arena opened and a bluish dragon entered the ring. Its eyes narrowed when it saw Pyrrha. It knew she was the enemy. Well, better to act first than become dragon food.  
“Sommun!” A deep blue light shot from her wand and hit the dragon’s flank, but it didn’t go down. It just continued lumbering towards her. She cast the spell twice more, one hitting, one glancing off a wing as she dodged to avoid being hit by a stream of blue fire.  
The dragon seemed to start getting disoriented. Its head swung from side to side on its stubby neck. Good. For a moment, Pyrrha had thought her strategy was going to be a wash.  
A blast of fire nearly caught her, and Pyrrha threw herself to the side, rolling through the manicured grass beneath her. The dragon’s body fell towards her, and Pyrrha had to run backwards, a final breath shooting flames which caught her robe on fire. Pyrrha put out the small flame with water from her wand before dashing around the dragon to the eggs at the other end of the arena and grabbing a golden one.

Winter went out on the next whistle, striding confidently into the arena, her spine as straight as a soldier’s.   
When they released the red dragon, Winter was ready.   
First: the distraction. Her coup de grace would take a minute to prepare. The dragon needed to be out of her way before she could begin. So Winter transfigured a small shrub near the edge of the arena to a pig, which absolutely lost its mind and began oinking and running around, creating a noisy, tasty-looking diversion, which immediately caught the dragon’s attention.  
Before the competition, Winter had placed a drop of blood on the end of her wand.   
When she began the spell, the earth drew together in front of her feet, slowly rising out of the ground until it stood sturdy on two feet. The humanoid form took on the guise of a knight as the details sharpened and it lifted a huge broadsword from the sheath at its side.  
The dragon suddenly it had bigger problems than the pig it had been chasing, turned, and roared at the knight.  
As the dragon tore chunks of soil and grass out of the golem, Winter made a run for it. She sprinted around the confrontation and to the eggs, where she grabbed one of the remaining three golden eggs as the crowd cheered.

Mercury went next, stepping into the arena and waving at the crowd. His plan was nice and simple. No frills, no fancy spells. Just blind the damn dragon and send it to hell.  
As the beast entered from the opposite side, he rubbed his palms together and shifted his weight on his prosthetic legs.  
His hidden advantage.  
He could run faster than any mortal with a single incantation.  
They’d only just taken the chains off when he shot the Conjunctivitis Curse for the dragon’s eyes, making it roar and spit fire in pain and anger. Mercury had predicted this, but not the stomping around. He hadn’t accounted for that.   
Another flick of his wand, and he summoned a snake. Once the serpent had a twin, they lunged straight for the dragon’s legs. A distraction, so it wouldn’t be able to get Mercury. Or at least, be less likely.  
Unfortunately, the dragon caught on before Mercury had even gotten three-quarters of the way to the end of the arena. Both his snakes had been swiftly stomped, and the dragon managing to burn itself in the process of killing them had only made it angrier.  
It turned on a dime and shot flame across the opposite side of the arena, catching Mercury’s foot as he threw himself out of the way of the blaze.  
Unfortunately, Mercury didn’t realize his foot was burning until he stood up and had to stamp on the misshapen and melting sole to extinguish the flames.   
When he saw the eggs, he cringed. “Shit.” A few of the real ones had gotten crushed when the dragon had blindly flailed around. This would cost him points, and made the real one significantly more difficult to pick up as it had become covered in goo and shell from the other eggs.  
Well, he hadn’t ever been supposed to win the tournament in the first place. As outcomes for the first task went, he’d consider this a success.

When her turn came, Ruby stood at the other end of the arena, feeling incredibly small as the dragon watched her warily, standing guard over the eggs behind it. If she were an ant intending to take down a troll, Ruby supposed this is how the ant would feel.  
Ruby felt like just running away, but she stood firm, wand extended in front of her. “Accio broom!”  
The crowd began to murmur as Ruby and the dragon opposed each other, both of their gazes unflinching. Neither one of them willing to give.  
Her broom had to come. It had to. She didn’t really have any other option. Ruby’s palms had started to sweat.  
“Come on, come on,” Ruby muttered, but the noise of the crowd started to get louder and began to sound a lot like cheering.   
Her broom flew over the wall surrounding the arena and down to her side, where Ruby mounted it and took off into the sky, flying as close to the dragon on the way up as she dared, enticing it to follow a little snack.  
But the dragon didn’t want to take off. It seemed content just to watch and shoot fire at her.  
Since the champions were getting scored on their speed, it seemed like flying around and being snapped at wasn’t doing Ruby any good. She needed to try something different.  
Ruby cast a few useless Stunning spells, which annoyed the dragon enough for it to take off.  
Then, all those years of being the Gryffindor Seeker paid off.  
Ruby’s size and agility allowed her to dive underneath the dragon as it took to the air, taking it totally by surprise. Of course, the scratch its claw left on her back as it swiped at her also took Ruby by surprise and she nearly fell off her broom while reaching for the golden egg, missing it the first time around. So close!  
She’d have to swoop around again.  
By this point, the dragon had recovered from the deception and flew for Ruby, shooting fire from its maw, which she dodged as if it was just a Bludger and the tournament were just a Quidditch match. Her reflexes acted before she even had to think about what she was going to do.   
At the last moment before the dragon would collide with her, Ruby dove sharply, heading for the eggs a second time.  
This time, she grabbed the egg. The crowd cheered again, but the dragon didn’t know their game was over. It shot more fire at her as the dragon-keepers ran out into the arena to contain it, finally restraining the furious beast enough for Ruby to land and walk through the opposite gate, broom at her side.  
“Look at that!” Bagman yelled over the noise of the crowd. “With a performance like that, our youngest champion proves she can hold her own!”  
Ruby couldn’t control the huge smile that spread across her face as she walked into a crowd of teachers just outside the arena. “Congratulations, Rose,” Goodwitch said, and pointed with her wand to another tent that had been set up. “Although I would suggest heading to Madam Pomfrey to get your back looked at.” Ruby took her advice, her back finally starting to hurt as the adrenaline wore off.  
Madam Pomfrey brought Ruby into a curtained-off area of the tent and made her remove her robe and shirt before rubbing something that stung and tickled on her back. “You’re lucky that these are so shallow,” she said as she worked. “I can’t believe this. Last year, those Dementors, this year, dragons. What’ll it be next?” she muttered before running her wand along the wounds in Ruby’s back before packing up the bottle and her wand. “Now, don’t move.”  
Madam Pomfrey vanished, but Ruby saw her silhouette move into the area adjacent hers. “How does it feel now, Nikos?”  
Ruby reached back with one hand and didn’t feel any blood. She also didn’t feel like just sitting, and her back didn’t hurt anymore. Plus, it was cold, sitting in a tent in November in her bra, so she put her clothing back on--and just in time too. When she stepped out of the makeshift exam room, Yang ran over to her and hugged her.  
“Ow! Ow!”   
Yang let her sister go. “You were amazing! Are you okay? What’d I do?”  
“Nothing, the dragon just got my back a little bit. Madam Pomfrey put medicine on it, though.”  
“That was so badass!” Yang squealed. “You were the only one who thought of anything like that!” And as they walked out of the tent and towards the judges, Yang told Ruby what everyone else had done. Pyrrha had used a sleeping spell. Winter had summoned an earth golem to distract the dragon. Mercury had attacked the dragon and blinded it. “And guess what?”  
“What?”  
“Mercury doesn’t have his leg!”  
“Of course he does.”  
“No. He doesn’t. It’s made of metal. His pants caught on fire as the dragon was rampaging. He barely noticed!”  
Yang stopped talking and Ruby stopped paying attention as they approached the raised dais on which the judges sat. From left to right, they gave their scores by raising their wands in the air.  
Professor Ironwood gave the first score. A four. The crowd applauded politely. “Probably because of your back,” Yang whispered. Ruby held her breath.  
Mr. Crouch gave her an eight.  
So did Ozpin, who looked into the distance as he raised his wand.  
Bagman gave her a ten.  
Professor Lionheart raised his wand and a seven formed in the air.  
“Oh yeah!” Yang shouted. She turned to Ruby and grinned. “You’re tied with Winter!”  
“Will the champions please return to the tent in which they gathered before the challenge? The tent outside the arena,” Bagman announced with a magically-amplified voice.  
“I’ll catch up with you later,” Yang said as she followed the rest of the crowd to the castle and Ruby broke away to head back to the tent. She pushed aside the white fabric covering the entrance to see the others already gathered. Everyone stood, except for Mercury.   
“Excellent job, Ruby,” Pyrrha said, smiling just as widely as her competitor. She had a bandage wrapped around one thigh where she’d been burned.  
“I heard your charm worked pretty well too, Pyrrha.”  
Before the conversation could continue, Ludo Bagman entered the tent, clapping enthusiastically. ‘Well done!” he bellowed in his normal voice. “Now, just a quick few words. The next task will be on February twenty-fourth--but don’t get lazy, you’ve still got work to do. See those eggs you’re holding? Well, they open. You need to solve the clue within the egg, because it will give you essential information necessary to prepare for the second task. Got it? Well, off you go then. Well done!”  
Ruby and Pyrrha walked back to the castle together, not even getting within view of the lake before someone appeared out of the trees. Rita Skeeter.  
“Hello, Ruby, would you mind giving me a quick word about the first task? Just a minute of your time?”  
“I’m afraid not,” Pyrrha said, walking faster. Ruby hurried to catch up. Pyrrha grinned at her. “The less she can report on us, the better.”  
“You got that right.”

“Looks like Ruby’s downright immortal!” Yang crowed, “Because if dragons can’t hurt her, nothing will!”  
“Two more to go,” Blake said, smiling, as she took a custard from one of the tables laden with food taken from the kitchen.  
Nora and Ren joined them, their paper plates also loaded with junk food. “So, what’s the egg, Ruby?”  
“She’s supposed to be solving the challenges on her own, Nora,” Ren reminded her.  
“Yeah, but you know a spell as big as whatever Winter did had to have had some preparation. So. Egg.”  
Ruby took the egg and found the groove opposite the hinges. She put her fingernails in the hairline crack and pried it open.  
Immediately, every sound in the Gryffindor Common Room got drowned out by horrific screeches. People shouted for Ruby to close the egg as they winced and put their hands over their ears.  
“Maybe the next task is a banshee,” Blake suggested. “They’re the only thing I can think of that makes noise like that.”  
“It sounded an awful lot like screaming,” Jaune said as he joined them. “Maybe it’ll be those...you know…” He looked at Ren.  
“Please, Jaune, I am not made of tissue paper.”  
‘Fine. Those Unforgivable Curses. What about those?’  
“Those are illegal,” Yang said. “Besides, they said they were trying to reduce the body count this year, not increase it.”  
The Gryffindors spent the rest of the afternoon and into the evening celebrating and speculating. When Ruby went to bed, she felt as if her world had become whole again. It was a very nice feeling.


	12. A Chill in the Air

Now that the first challenge had passed, Ruby’s life went back to normal until December rolled around.  

Care of Magical Creatures that year was an absolute mess.  Hagrid had found these creatures known as Blast-Ended Skrewts and they were...something.  Something dangerous that no one knew how to take care of and that seemed to be steadily dying off as the students bumbled around trying to figure out how to keep them alive.  Yeah, definitely something.

“I hope the cold kills them and we get to do something that doesn’t shoot fire out of its ass for the rest of the year,” Yang grumbled as she tried to put a leash around a very unhappy skrewt, which Ruby and Jaune were trying to hold still as it thrashed and tried to burn them.

“Well, this looks like fun,” a familiar voice said from the direction of the fence which bordered the field where the class took place.

“Not her again,” Ruby muttered.

Rita Skeeter leaned against the fence, smiling at Hagrid.

“Who are you?” Hagrid asked, struggling to wrangle a few other groups’ skrewts on their own makeshift leashes.

“Rita Skeeter, reporter for The Daily Prophet.”  She grinned at him and leaned further against the fence.

“Ozpin said you’re not allowed here anymore,” Hagrid said.

She ignored him.  “What are those fascinating creatures?”  

“Blast-Ended Skrewts,” Hagrid said.

“Oh really?  I’ve never heard of them before.  Where do they come from?”

“Uhh…”  Hagrid seemed not to know what to say. 

From what they knew about Hagrid, they probably didn’t want to know where he’d gotten them.  “Fun class, right, Ruby?” Yang asked, giving the largest fake smile she could.

“Yeah, lots of fun,” Ruby agreed, gritting her teeth as the Skrewt’s pincers caught one of her dragon-hide gloved fingers.

“Oh, Ruby!  You’re here too!  So, is Care of Magical Creatures one of your favorite classes?”  

Hagrid looked like he needed some sort of support, considering everyone outside at the moment looked disheveled and frustrated from fighting with the Skrewts.

“Sure,” Ruby managed.

Hagrid smiled.

“How long have you been teaching?” Rita turned back to Hagrid.

“This is my second year.”

“Wonderful.”  Rita thought for a moment.  “Actually, would you like to do an interview?  The Prophet has a zoology column every Wednesday, which I’m sure someone like you would follow.  We could feature, um...these.” She gestured down at the Blast-Ended Skrewts.

And to Ruby’s horror, they made plans to meet.

“She’ll just drag him through the mud,” Jaune lamented as they put their gloves back in the equipment shed and gathered their things.  

“Wait, what’s going on?” Nora asked as she hung a fireproof cloak on a hook.

Ruby, Yang, and Jaune explained the conversation they’d seen.

“That’s not going to go well,’ Ren said.  “Not if Hagrid’s truthful. He’s been in a lot of trouble before.  And nobody knows where those Skrewts came from.”

“Probably not even Ozpin,” Nora rejoined.

“Okay, but let’s be honest,” Yang said.  “We’d all be a lot better off with those Skrewts gone, am I right?”

 

Chilly weekends made for prime boredom.

“Have you guys ever been to the kitchen?” Nora asked Ruby and Yang as they worked on their Divination homework together.  

“You know where it is?” Yang asked.

“Yeah.  Ren and I go down there to talk to the House Elves.  And get free food. And you know all that fucked-up stuff at the World Cup?” Nora lowered her voice.  “One of the elves was there.”

More interested in food and secrets than star charts, they followed Nora down to the kitchens.  They let the elves serve them tea, and one elf, upon hearing of their arrival, greeted them very enthusiastically.

“So, where’d you work before you came to Hogwarts, Dobby?” Yang asked the odd elf, the only one wearing real clothes instead of scraps of towels.

“For Mr. Schnee,” he answered quietly, but then his voice brightened.  “It is much nicer working for Professor Ozpin, Miss. He says we can say whatever we likes about him.  He says that House Elves are respected at Hogwarts!”

Yang saw an opening. “But you can talk about your old owners, right?  So what’s the dirt on the Schnees?”

“Dobby could.”  Dobby seemed to steel himself for a moment, and gulped.  “Dobby could say that the Schnees--they were Dark wizards,” he whispered, his voice getting softer and shakier as he finished the sentence.  Immediately afterwards, he turned and began to beat his head on the wall.

Nora grabbed his shoulder and pulled him away.  “You’re not bad, Dobby.”

“Yes, yes you is!” the other House Elf talking to them, Winky, admonished Dobby.  “My poor Mr. Crouch, he is needing me! My mother, she was working for the Crouches, my grandmother before her, and her mother!  Oh, the shame, if they knew Winky was freed! The shame!” And she began to bawl, huge sobs shaking her tiny shoulders.

“Winky, Mr. Crouch seems to be doing fine.” Ruby tried to reassure her.  “He’s at Hogwarts right now.”

“You is seeing my master?” Winky stopped crying for a moment to look up at Ruby.  “At Hogwarts?”

“Yeah.  He and Mr. Bagman are judging the Triwizard Tournament.”

Winky stomped her foot.  “Mr. Bagman is a bad wizard!  Mr. Crouch is not liking him at all!”

“Could’ve figured that one out on my own,” Yang muttered.

“But Winky is keeping her master’s secrets, oh yes!”  And with that, she started sobbing again, and nothing and no one could comfort her.

Dobby continued to chat with them about being free, about how Ozpin treated him kindly.  When the girls had finished their tea, they headed back upstairs. “Bye, Dobby!” Nora said, waving at her little friend.  

Dobby caught the hem of her skirt before she could climb out of the portrait hole.  “Wait, Nora Valkyrie...can Dobby come visit you sometimes?”

“Of course!”

And with that, they headed out of the kitchens and to take the long trek back to the Gryffindor Common Room.

“Ren needed to know whether or not they were happy,” Nora said.  “That’s how we visited the first time. It seems so close to slavery, but they love it so much, so I’m not sure whether or not it’s actually unethical.  To be honest, I have no idea what it is. Ozpin treats them well, though, that’s pretty obvious.”

“That’s good, Nora,” Ruby said.  

“Wonder what’s up with Bagman, though?” Yang said.  “Winky seems like she doesn’t like him.”

“Well, it’s not like he did a great job handling the mess at the World Cup,” Ruby said.

“Still, he’s gotta be better to work for than a brick wall, right?”


	13. The Yule Ball

Ruby sincerely thought she could escape the Triwizard Tournament until February, right up until Professor Goodwitch brought up the Triwizard Tournament at the end of their Transfiguration lesson.

“The Yule Ball is approaching, which will provide you a traditional, formal opportunity to socialize with our foreign guests.  Only fourth year students and above may attend, although if you wish to bring a younger student, you may. The ball is a strictly formal event, and so you are required to wear dress robes if you wish to attend.  The ball will be on Christmas, beginning at eight and lasting until midnight. Now, the ball is a chance to let your hair down a little around our guests, but,” she punctuated this with a tap of her wand on the desk, “we will not be lowering our expectations for your behavior.  Expect to deal with me if you are caught breaking any rule.” She narrowed her eyes, making it clear that it wouldn’t be a pleasant visit with her until the bell rang and she relaxed. “Miss Rose, a moment?”

Ruby approached the front of the room as her classmates left.  “Rose, the champions and their partners traditionally open the ball.”

“I don’t dance, Professor.”  Ruby felt as if saying this was a huge risk, based on Professor Goodwitch’s stern expression at the end of class.  “I don’t know how.”

“Well, expect to have learned by Christmas, and have a partner who can also dance.”  Professor Goodwitch sighed. “And please, for the life of me, do not bring Miss Xiao Long as your partner.  It would be inappropriate for the occasion.”

Ruby looked down at her feet.

“You’re a Hogwarts student.  Therefore, do not let Hogwarts down.  It’s as simple as that.”

 

“Goodwitch told me I have to have a partner for the dance,” Ruby lamented when she caught up to her friends in the hallway.  “Worse, I actually have to know how to dance!”

“Dancing’s not that bad, Ruby,” Jaune said.  “I mean, I managed to learn how to dance, and I’m the clumsiest person in our whole year.  So there’s a lot of hope for you.”

“You can dance?” Nora asked.

“I mean, when you’re homeschooled, you don’t really get traditional sports and P.E.”

“I suppose we got lucky, being sent to public school,” Ren told Nora.

“P.E.?” Ruby asked.

“Physical education.  It’s a whole class where you play sports and stuff like that,” Jaune said.  “I guess to teach kids how to exercise or something?”

“Pretty much,” Nora confirmed.  “Except take out all the fun of playing sports and replace it with shame and humiliation as you get told you’re not working hard enough even after you can’t breathe.”

“That sounds awful,” Blake said.  “So, we need dates for the ball?”

“I can’t imagine going with anyone in our house!” Yang complained.  “All the guys are just...ugh!” She looked at Jaune and Ren. “Except for you guys, but you’re my friends, so it’d be weird to ask you.”

“Thanks for the clarification,” Ren said dryly.  

 

Jaune cornered Ren in the bathroom while he was half-dressed, making the situation way more awkward than it needed to be.  

“Dude, you gotta help me.”

“What?” Ren said, and he didn’t know if he meant to have asked What do you need help with? or What are you doing here?

“Okay, I really want to ask Pyrrha to the ball, but like, how do I do that?  She’s so much taller than me, prettier--and she’s a champion! Boys will be crawling over her!  But like, she was the first person to be nice to me at Hogwarts and that meant a lot and I just want to let her know--how did you and Nora do it?”

“Excuse me?”

“You know, you and Nora.  Wait…”

Ren saw the realization in Jaune’s eyes.  “We’re not together,” Ren said. “Just close friends.”  But he felt bad for Jaune anyway. “I would just tell Pyrrha how you feel.  I’m sure she would understand. From what I’ve seen, she’s a really kind person.”

“But what if she doesn’t want to go to the ball with me?”

“You tried your best.  Besides, you’re not as awkward as you think you are.”

“Are you serious?”

Ren smiled.  “You returned to Hogwarts this year several inches taller than last year.  You’re kind. You try your best. Those are characteristics that people admire, Jaune.”

“Thanks, Ren.  You’re a great friend.  Like the brother I never had, to be honest.”

“I could say the same for you, Jaune.  Now, if you wouldn’t mind, I’d like to put my trousers on.”

Jaune’s face reddened as he realized he’d ambushed his half-naked friend to ask about girls and ducked out of the bathroom.

 

Blake sat in the library studying when she felt a tap on the shoulder.  One of the Durmstrang students stood over her, a big grin on his face. “So, I’ve seen you around,” he said, “and you know, that whole dance thing is coming up.  So, my name is Sun and I need a partner for the ball. What do you think?”

The kid had blonde hair and a confident grin.  He also had a monkey tail swinging from side to side behind his back, perhaps the only sign of his nervousness.  Despite herself, Blake smiled at the request. “I’m Blake. And sure.”

 

“So, Schnee,” Cardin said, walking up to where Weiss sat in the Slytherin Common Room.  “I heard you still need a partner for the Yule Ball. Care to go with me?”

He extended a hand in what Weiss supposed he thought was a romantic gesture.  

Whitley sat talking with his friends on the other side of the room.  

Cardin came from the Falcon family, acceptable to associate with by her father’s standards.

She needed to stay in his good graces, and Weiss knew Whitley had been reporting her talks with Winter to their father.

“Sure,” she said, allowing him to pull her to her feet.  “Why not?”

She resisted the urge to shudder at his touch.

 

By some miracle, Jaune caught Pyrrha alone after the Ravenclaw Transfiguration class one day.

“Hey Pyrrha, can I talk to you?  Just for a second?”

She smiled in a way that made Jaune’s heart melt.  “Sure.”

“Well, you know the ball is coming up, and I know that the champions have to have partners, and it’s totally okay if you say no, but I just wanted to ask--”

Pyrrha’s smile widened, reaching her eyes.  “Of course, Jaune.”

“Wait, are you serious?”

“Of course.  A lot of people asked me to go because I’m the champion.  A lot of people asked for selfish reasons. But you seem like you genuinely care.  And I’d much rather go with someone who cares than someone who’s going to say they attended the Yule Ball with Pyrrha Nikos back when they were at Hogwarts.”

Jaune’s amazed look made Pyrrha laugh.  “See you around, Jaune!”

As she walked off, Jaune turned to look back down the hallway and saw Professor Goodwitch watching him.  She pushed her glasses up her nose with two fingers. “It’s not as hard as it looks, is it, Mr. Arc?”

Jaune’s face became even redder and he headed into the classroom.

 

Nora asked Ren when they sat together in the Gryffindor Common Room on a rainy Saturday.

“Of course,” Ren replied.

“It’s not gonna make things weird between us if we go to the dance, right?”

“Nora, we’ve been weird as long as either of us can remember,” Ren said, reaching across the table to take her hand.  “I’d rather go to the dance with you than anyone else.”

Nora closed her hand around his in return.

 

As Christmas break drew nearer, the deadline for Ruby to find a date crept ever closer.

The Saturday before the break, she finally just figured she’d better do what Yang had told her to do from the start and just ask people.  Someone had to want to go with a champion, right?

“So, Jaune,” she asked him one day when they were playing wizard chess, “would you go to the dance with me?”

“Sorry, Ruby, I’ve already got a partner.”

Ruby tried to hide her disappointment.  “That’s cool. Who is it?”

“I’m going with Pyrrha.”

“Woah.”  Ruby’s face reddened.  “That’s awesome, Jaune.  I hope you guys have fun at the dance.”  She wanted to sound supportive, but she didn’t think that had been very convincing.

“Don’t worry too much about finding a partner, Ruby,” Jaune said, in an effort to cheer her up.  “You’re really fun and smart. Lots of people admire you. I’m sure someone will want to ask you, but they’re just too shy.”

“I wish Yang could go with me, but Goodwitch is afraid it’d send the wrong message,” Ruby told him.  “I guess I’ll just have to keep trying.”

“You got this, Ruby.  Remember, you beat a dragon at flying.  This should be a piece of cake!”

It did not feel like a piece of cake.

 

Oddly, a piece of cake got Ruby a date that night.

They’d had a few slices left at the Gryffindor table when one of the guests from Durmstrang, a girl with red, curly hair and bright green eyes, approached their table after dinner and pointed at it.  “Do you guys mind if I take the rest of that?” she asked.

“Sure,” Ruby said, handing the heavy platter to her.

“Are you going to the Yule Ball?” the girl asked.  “I would really like to go, but my father says I can’t go unless I have a partner.  Will you be my partner?”

Ruby smiled up at her.  Something about the girl’s earnestness struck her.  “Sure, I’ll go with you. I’m Ruby.”

“I already knew that,” the girl said.  “I’m Penny. It’s a pleasure to meet you, Ruby.”  Balancing the cake awkwardly on one arm, they shook hands.

“Oh!  Watch the cake!” Ruby exclaimed as the platter tipped and Penny rushed to right it before the cake spilled.

“See you at the dance, Ruby!” she said, and headed over to the Hufflepuff table, where the Beauxbatons students had been sitting.

“That was...something,” Yang said, looking after her.  “Do you actually know her, Ruby?”

“No.  To be honest, I’m not sure I’ve even seen her before.”

“Well, Ruby did a good thing by accepting her offer,” Blake said from across the table.  “Now she doesn’t have to worry about finding a partner and Penny’s dad will be happy. There’s nothing saying they have to dance the whole time anyway.”

“Thank goodness,” Ruby said.  “I was betting on that. I still can’t dance.”

“I offered to teach you!” Jaune leaned over the table so he could look down and see Ruby’s face.

Ruby put her face in her hands.  She just couldn’t win.

 

Yang found herself alone in their room with Blake the next morning.  “I still need a date for the ball, if you want to go,” she offered to the other girl as she did her homework on the bed across the room.

“Sorry, Yang, I’ve already got one.”

“Rats,” Yang said.  “I mean, congrats for you.  But isn’t the older sister supposed to get more boys?”

“I think that’s negated if your younger sister is chosen to compete in a wizarding tournament.”

“That makes so much sense.  Just like the rest of my life.”  Yang sighed and fell back into her bed.

 

When Christmas rolled around, the castle was as lively as the students had ever known it.  With so many people staying over the holiday for the ball, people crowded in the Common Rooms, enjoyed playing in the freshly-fallen snow, and walked through the drafty castle and sat near cozy fires together.

“So, who are you going to the ball with?” Yang asked Blake, curling up on the other armchair in front of one of the library fires.  She held a novel in her hands. 

“His name is Sun.  He’s from Durmstrang,” Blake said.  “He’s another Faunus.”

“Is he hot?”

Blake’s cheeks reddened.  “I guess so.”

“You’re going to look amazing, Blake.”

“I hope so.  I’ve never really been to a dance before.”

“Better not give him all our secrets, Blake,” A voice said from behind their chairs.  “One might say you’re fraternizing with the enemy.”

“Butt out!” Blake snapped, and Cardin skulked off, a smirk on his face.

“Literal human trash,” Yang commented.

Just then, Ruby came around the corner, clutching an envelope in her hands.  “Yang, Dad sent a letter. Do you want to see?”

“Sure.  See ya, Blake!”  

She waved and followed Ruby out of the library.  “Let me guess: the letter’s really from Dad’s best friend.”

“Yup.  Uncle Qrow.”

They went to Moaning Myrtle’s bathroom to read it.  “But you can’t tell anyone!” Ruby implored the ghost.  “Like, seriously!”

“Whatever,” Myrtle said, diving back into her toilet and splashing the floor with water.

Yang unfolded the letter and held it out so they could both see it.  

Dear Ruby and Yang,

Glad to hear you two are back on speaking terms.  You’ll always be stronger together, and it’ll make your dad’s life a hell of a lot easier knowing his girls have each other’s backs.  

Congrats on the first task, Ruby.  But neither of you should let your guards down.  Both of the upcoming tasks give whoever’s after you two more chances.  And remember, if this person believes the old myths, they’re probably not exactly sane, if you know what I mean.

Keep me updated.

Qrow

“He sounds like Professor Moody,” Yang said.  “Doesn’t he?” She put on her best impression of the old professor.  “Constant vigilance! Anything and everything could be coming to kill you!”

“But I have two more tasks to go!  He’s right that whoever wanted me in the tournament can still take me out.”

“Speaking of the tasks, have you looked at your egg much yet?”

“How am I supposed to look at it without it screaming?”

“Good point.”

 

Nora’s shriek woke their entire dorm on Christmas morning.  When her friends looked over to see what happened, they saw that she’d practically pulled one of Blake’s tricks and climbed up on the headboard of the bed to get away from the House Elf which stood on her blankets.

“Holy sh--shirts and pants and all that other stuff,” Nora breathed, staring down at the elf.  “You know you could have just tapped my shoulder, Dobby.” She climbed back into her bed, sitting on the covers.

“Nora?” Blake asked, staring at the elf.  “Why are the House Elves visiting you?”

“Nora Valkyrie is Dobby’s friend!” Dobby exclaimed.  “Dobby is only wanting to wish Nora Valkyrie ‘Merry Christmas’ and bring her a present.  Nora Valkyrie did say Dobby could come and see her sometimes, ma’am!”

“Well, we’re up whether we like it or not,” Yang announced.  “Present time!”

As the other girls attacked their own piles of presents, Dobby looked around.  “Can Dobby give Nora Valkyrie her present now?”

‘Sure,” Nora said.  “And here’s something for you, too.”  She got off her bed and rifled around underneath it, grabbing a pair of stupid frilly socks that had come from some thrift store, somewhere, but had deserved to die back in the eighties.

“Socks are Dobby’s favorite!”  He took off his other socks and put the hideous ones on and pulled them as high as they could go, up to the bottom of his shorts.  “But they is making a mistake, miss! They is giving Nora Valkyrie two of the same socks!”

“Hey, Dobby,” Yang called.  She pulled out a yellow pair with broomsticks on them and tossed the socks to the House Elf.  “Now you can mix them up!”

“Miss is very kind!”  Dobby stared in awe at the socks.  He then held out a package to Nora, wrapped in butcher paper and yarn.

Two misshapen socks, one pink and one bright green, were in the package.

“Dobby is making them himself, Miss!  He is buying the wool out of his wages!”

“They’re great, Dobby!”  Nora pulled them onto her feet and wiggled her toes, showing them off.  

 

Blake, Nora, Yang, and Ruby walked down to the Entrance Hall together in their dress robes, all self-conscious, and all gorgeous.  They’d helped each other get ready, and now they walked down the stairs in their heels, a little bit of their bravado slipped away as they saw everyone else milling about in their formal wear.

Penny met Ruby at the bottom of the stairs.  She wore a beautiful green robe with white gloves that extended to her elbows.  A green headband held back her short, curly red hair. “Ruby! It’s a pleasure to see you!”

“Penny!  You look beautiful!” 

Penny giggled.  “Why, thank you!”

Looking around, Ruby spotted a lot of other people with their partners.  Cardin stood next to Weiss, who didn’t look incredibly happy about the whole arrangement.  A blonde guy with the Durmstrang crowd waved, spotting Blake, and pushed through the crowd to get to them.  He held out an arm to her. “My lady! Shall we go?”

“See you at the dance, guys,” Blake said, taking the arm and letting herself be pulled into the crowd.

“Champions over here!” Goodwitch shouted from where she stood by the doors to the Great Hall.  Not knowing what to do, Ruby offered her arm to Penny and they headed over to where Professor Goodwitch stood in her black velvet robes, her blonde bun held up with two chopsticks.  Pyrrha and Jaune joined them next, Jaune grinning like he’d won the lottery. “Hey, Ruby,” he greeted her, and she waved back.

Mercury arrived with his girlfriend, the one with the green hair, and the last to appear were Winter and another guy from Beauxbatons.

“You will wait here and process to the front of the hall after the other students have been seated,” Professor Goodwitch instructed them before opening the huge doors.

Students streamed past them.  A few said hi, if they knew the champions, but mostly it felt like being a human trophy until everyone found a seat.

“Now, everyone line up with your partners.” Goodwitch lined them up from from shortest champion to tallest, so Ruby and Penny lead the group, followed by Jaune and Pyrrha, Mercury and his girlfriend, and Winter and her date.

Small tables had been set around the perimeter of the room for the students to eat at, with a Christmas tree in every corner of the room.  A buffet table with drinks and light desserts sat against one wall. Snow fell from the ceiling above, dissipating into the air before it hit their faces, and the only light came from candles in sconces or warm, orange lights inside magical icicles.

The champions proceeded through the magnificent display and up a set of steps to the elevated table where they would sit with the judges, whom had already sat to watch the procession.

Yet not all the judges were present.  Mr. Crouch wasn’t sitting at the table with them.  In his place sat a young woman, a rabbit Faunus wearing a deep scarlet robe.  

“Where’s Mr. Crouch?” Ruby asked after they had been seated. 

“Oh, he’s not feeling well,” the woman replied.  “I’m his assistant, so I’m sitting in for him today.”  She smiled and extended a hand. “Velvet Scarlatina, at your service.”

“Ruby Rose, at yours.”

After the others had also exchanged a few quick words, Professor Ozpin demonstrated for them how to order.  “Pork chops,” he told his golden plate after looking at the menu for a minute. A moment later, pork chops did indeed materialize on his plate.

Everyone else placed their orders the same way, and made small talk as they ate.  “So, Winter, what’s Beauxbatons like?” Mercury’s girlfriend asked.

“It’s not as large as Hogwarts,” Winter said, “but I appreciate its atmosphere. The grounds are very spacious.  When the weather is nice, everyone is outside.”

“Watch it, Schnee,” Ironwood warned his student.

“Professor Ironwood, while secrecy is necessary to a degree for a magical academy, I doubt any of the students here can deduce where your academy is located simply from knowing that the students go outside when they can,” Professor Ozpin said.  “My goal for this ball was to allow all of us to fraternize without our usual hostility, and I expect everyone to adhere to these expectations.”

“Indeed,” Professor Lionheart agreed.  “Especially in times of tension, a little friendly conversation is necessary for all of us to be able to relax.”

Aside from that, the rest of the dinner went smoothly. Pyrrha, Mercury, and Ruby discussed playing Quidditch and other magical sports, while Winter and Emerald exchanged stories about their respective schools and what their lessons were like. 

Once most of the plates were clean and everyone seemed satisfied, Professor Ozpin stood and conjured a small stage to one side of the hall, complete with several instruments.  At this time, the band took their places and began to play a slow, romantic tune.

“I don’t know how to dance,” Ruby admitted to Penny as they stepped down onto the dance floor.  

“Neither do I,” Penny replied.  “I suppose we just do as everyone else does.”

Unfortunately, Pyrrha and Jaune seemed to struggle as much as Ruby and Penny did, with Pyrrha trying to conceal the discomfort she felt when Jaune stepped on her feet.  Clearly his dancing had gotten a bit rusty. Winter and her partner danced well, but didn’t really seem to be talking much. The only two who seemed perfectly in synch with each other were Mercury and his girlfriend, who stared into each other’s eyes as if they didn’t have a care in the world except for each other.

Soon, though, the attention on the champions faded as more people joined them on the dance floor.  Ozpin danced with Goodwitch, Oobleck spun Sprout under his arm, Nora and Ren made a decent attempt at dancing, and Blake’s date and her seemed to have absolutely no idea what they were doing, but they would have fun doing it no matter what.  Twice, Ruby saw them both laughing as they stepped on each other’s feet or ran into other partners.

 

Professor Moody danced by Nora and Ren with Professor Sinistra.  His mechanical eye focused on their feet as they passed each other.  “Nice socks, Valkyrie.”

“They’re from a House Elf!” she replied cheerfully.

“Socks?”

“I told Dobby he could come visit me.  He’s been using his money to buy knitting supplies.  His socks aren’t really socks, more like lumps of fabric that are vaguely-foot-shaped, but,” she shrugged,” it’s the thought that counts.”

“Indeed.  Although I’m not sure how well that qualifies outside Dobby, considering that the rest of the House Elves would consider you a saint if you asked for a pair of socks, handmade, just for you.”  Ren smiled, and Nora did too.

 

“I don’t think I’m one for dancing, Penny,” Ruby said after twisting her ankle in her heels for the fifth time in one song.  They were impossible to even walk in, much less try to be graceful. How could Weiss wear them every day? “Sorry about that.”  

“Not a problem, Ruby!”  Penny bowed towards her as the first song ended.  “Thanks for letting me be your partner for the dance!”

“Thanks for coming with me.”

Ruby spotted Yang standing by the drinks table and walked over to join her as Penny approached another girl from Beauxbatons.  “You didn’t get a partner?” Ruby asked.

Yang shook her head.  “It’s okay, though. Dancing’s overrated.”

“But you love dancing.”

“You win some, you lose some,” Yang said with a shrug.  “Hey, there’s Blake!”

“Sun and Neptune went off to go be dorks together,” Blake explained, arms crossed over her chest.  “So my date is no longer my date.”

They each grabbed a butterbeer and headed over to an empty table.  “Sorry, Blake,” Ruby said.

“It’s not a big deal.  Looks like lots of people are mingling right now.”

Velvet and Bagman approached their table, deep in conversation, broken only when Velvet asked if they could have the empty chairs.

“Our department thinks that the tournament has been rather successful so far,” Velvet was telling him.  “Even after everything that happened with the Goblet, there hasn’t been any major conflict or injury, which is quite impressive.”

“Oh yes, it’s been absolutely stellar,” Bagman said.  “And how’s old Barty doing? He’ll be back on his feet soon?”

“Of course,” Velvet said, and the rest of their conversation turned to politics.

‘Hey, Blake, how about that dance now?” Yang asked Blake.  

“You got it,” Blake said, and they headed onto the dance floor, leaving Ruby alone.

Ruby’s ankles still hurt, but when Jaune offered her a dance, she didn’t refuse.  “So what happened to Pyrrha?” Ruby asked.

“Just her friends,” Jaune said.  “She said she was really happy I’d asked her and said she’d maybe...maybe she’d like to hang out in Hogsmeade this spring.”  Jaune blushed. “But one of her friends’ boyfriends just broke up with her and she was really upset, so I told her that she could go be with her friend.”

“That’s really sweet of you.”

“I was just trying to be nice.”

And Jaune really could dance, Ruby discovered.  He showed her where to put her hands on his sides and placed his accordingly, moving to the music as if he didn’t have to think about a thing.

“You’re awesome at this, Jaune.”

Jaune winced.  “I hate dancing, to be honest.  It was just such a homeschool thing.  No one else danced. It was weird. Everyone at the dances we went to was older than us.  Really awkward.”

“Well, if you don’t want to dance, we don’t have to,” Ruby said. 

“No, it’s nice to be the only one who knows something for once,” Jaune said, smiling.  

When the song ended, Ruby did her best impression of a curtsy as Jaune bowed to her.  Realizing how silly they had to look, they laughed. “I’m gonna go see if Pyrrha’s friend is okay,” Jaune said, and Ruby found herself alone once again.

She walked out into the front courtyard of Hogwarts, where students sat on benches around the fountain and on the stairs, looking out over the lake and talking together.

The cool air felt good on her face after being in the stuffy Hall. 

Someone waved to her from the fountain.  Ruby headed down the stairs to where Weiss sat by herself in an elegant blue gown.

“It’s good to see you again,” Weiss said.  

“You too,” Ruby said.  “What’s going on?”

“Well, Cardin’s an asshole,” Weiss said, “and Whitely couldn’t come, so I guess I can do what I want for an evening.”

“You went with Cardin?”

“Whitley saw him ask me out.”

“That sucks.”

“Yeah.”

“Do you want to go for a walk?” Ruby suggested.  “Fewer people, you know.”

“Sure.”  Weiss stood up and they headed out onto one of the paths through the gardens, but stopped once they heard familiar voices.

“What are you worried about, Leo?” Oobleck’s sharp tones carried through the chilly air.

“You can’t ignore it, Bartholomew!  I swear I can feel it with every passing day!” Lionheart plead.

“You need to grow up,” Oobleck snapped.  “As I tell my students, your actions have consequences, which you cannot avoid.  If you want to leave, go, and the scandal will be discovered immediately.”

Squeals seemed to also come from their direction.  When Ruby and Weiss rounded the corner, they saw Lionheart and Oobleck walking together as Oobleck sent flashing lights into rose bushes to scare students off who had thought they might be a safe place to get intimate with their partners.

“Miss Rose, Miss Schnee, enjoy your evening and don’t get into any trouble,” Professor Oobleck greeted them with a nod in their direction.

“I didn’t know Oobleck and Lionheart knew each other,” Ruby commented once the teachers had moved out of earshot.

“I wonder what they’re worried about,” Weiss said.  “Maybe we shouldn’t hang out here too long.” The people hiding in the bushes made her nervous.

So they headed back to the castle, pretending they didn’t know each other.  

Ruby spent the rest of the dance watching the others.  Pyrrha and Jaune spent the rest of the evening dancing together.  Blake and Ilia danced some, and Yang and some of the Quidditch team had grabbed a table and seemed deep in an intense discussion.  

Finally, the dance ended and everyone cleared the Great Hall.  As Ruby was walking out, Pyrrha called out to her from where she stood with Jaune.

“Your egg.  Have you figured it out yet?” Pyrrha whispered.

“No,” Ruby admitted.  “It just kinda screams.”

“Exactly.  Have you tried putting it in water?”

“Water?”

“Just try it.  Maybe in one of the baths sometime.”  Pyrrha winked at her. “Good night, Ruby.”

“Night, Pyrrha!”


	14. Hagrid's Heritage

At their first Care of Magical Creatures lesson back from the break, Hagrid was nowhere to be seen.  A woman named Professor Grubbly-Plank stood in his place. “Where’s Hagrid?” Nora called out.

“Hagrid is indisposed.  I am your temporary Care of Magical Creatures teacher,” Grubbly-Plank explained.  “Now, come this way.” She lead them around the paddock where they normally had their lessons to the edge of the forest.

“Is Hagrid okay?” Nora asked.

“It’s none of your business.”

“But--” Ren squeezed Nora’s hand as if to convey to her that she wasn’t going to get anything out of their substitute.  Nora got the picture and dropped back to walk with the rest of the class.

At the edge of the forest, the students expressed awe at the creature standing before them.  Professor Grubbly-Plank had put a lead on a unicorn and tied the other end to a tree. It didn’t look like it was too happy to be there with the way it pawed at the ground with its hoof and shook its head against the lead.

“Maybe it had to do with the skrewts,” Ren suggested.  “Perhaps he got burned or something.”

“Too bad the truth about your friend is uglier than his face,” Cardin said as he came up behind them.  “Did you check out the Daily Prophet, or do you need a handout?”

Nora ignored his crack and snatched the newspaper out of his hand, folding out the page.

**_OZPIN’S GIANT MISTAKE_ **

_ Professor Ozpin, eccentric Headmaster of Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, has never been afraid to make controversial staff appointments, writes Rita Skeeter, Special Correspondent.  In September of this year, he hired Alastor “Mad-Eye” Moody, the notoriously jinx-happy ex-Auror to teach Defense Against the Dark Arts, a decision that caused many raised eyebrows at the Ministry of Magic, given Moody’s well-known habit of attacking anyone who makes a sudden motion in his presence. Mad-Eye Moody, however, looks responsible and kindly when set beside the part-human Ozpin employs to teach Care of Magical Creatures. _

_ Rubeus Hagrid, who admits to being expelled from Hagrid in his third year, has enjoyed the position of gamekeeper at the school ever since, a position secured for him by Ozpin.  Last year, however, Hagrid used his mysterious influence over the headmaster to secure the additional post of Care of Magical Creatures teacher, over the head of other, more qualified candidates. _

_ An alarmingly large and ferocious-looking man, Hagrid has been using his newfound authority to terrify the students in his care with a succession of ever-more terrifying creatures.  While Ozpin turns a blind eye, Hagrid has maimed several students in a series of lessons many have called “very frightening.” _

_ “I was attacked by a Hippogriff last year and my friend Russel Thrush got a bite off a flobberworm,” says Cardin Winchester, a fourth-year student.  “We’re all terrified of him, but we’re too scared to say anything.’ _

_ Hagrid has no intention of ceasing his campaign of intimidation, however.  In conversation with a Daily Prophet reporter last month, he admitted to breeding creatures he dubbed, “Blast-Ended Skrewts,” highly dangerous crosses between manticores and fire crabs.  The creation of new such creatures is an activity usually highly regulated and overseen by the Department for the Regulation and Control of Magical Creatures. Hagrid, however, considers himself to be above such petty restrictions. _

_ “I was just having some fun,” he said, and quickly changed the subject. _

_ As if this were not enough, the Daily Prophet has now uncovered evidence that Hagrid is not--as he has always pretended--a pure-blood wizard.  He is not, in face, even pure human. His mother, we can exclusively reveal, is none other than the Giantess Fridwulfa, whose whereabouts are currently unknown. _

_ Bloodthirsty and brutal, the giants drove themselves to extinction over the last few centuries due to inter-tribal wars.  Those tribes and giants who remain are frequently strict adherents to the religion of the Old Gods and worship them fervently.  Many of the more violent giants met their ends at the hands of the Aurors working against Dark magicians, but Fridwulfa was never amongst them.  It is possible she escaped to a foreign mountain range where she may have been offered asylum. If his antics during his Care of Magical Creatures are anything to go by, Fridwulfa’s son appears to have inherited her violent ways. _

_ In a bizarre twist, Hagrid seems to act as a father-figure to students without parents of their own, often entertaining them in his cabin on weekends.  Perhaps without a proper upbringing, they have no knowledge of the dangers of associating with known part-Giants--but without a doubt, Hogwarts has a responsibility to those students to warn them the risks of their friendships. _

“So?” Nora said, handing the paper back to Cardin.  “It’s not like your lies are extraordinary. Flobberworms don’t even have teeth.”

“Your friend’s a monster, Valkyrie.  Get that through your thick skull.”

Their conversation ended abruptly as Professor Grubbly-Plank snapped at them to pay attention as she talked about unicorns and let the girls get up close and touch the one that had been tethered for their lesson.  But Nora was still too agitated about the defamation of Hagrid in the paper, and when she held out her hand for the unicorn to sniff, it snapped at her and she barely avoided being bitten.

“That was awesome,’ Ruby said as she, Yang, and Jaune joined them on the walk back to the castle.  

“Did you read the Daily Prophet today, Ruby?” Nora asked.

Ruby shook her head.  “I don’t read it anymore after Skeeter published all that stuff about me.”

“I did,” Yang said.

“Did you see the article about Hagrid?”

“Yeah,” Yang said.  “What a load of trash.  If no one’s cared before, they’re not going to care now.”

“You knew?”

“Well, you don’t get to be that large by just having big bones.  What did you think?”

Nora didn’t know how to respond to that.

“Well, I don’t care if Hagrid is a giant,” Jaune said.  “I’m mostly just glad that we didn’t have to deal with the skrewts again.”

A glint appeared in Yang’s eye.  “Hey, first one back to the castle gets double dessert at lunch!”  And with that, Yang, Ruby, and Jaune dashed off to the castle.

Four years ago, Nora would have been with them.

“We gotta talk to Hagrid,” she said, and Ren followed her down the other path to Hagrid’s cabin.  Nora pounded on the door. “Hagrid, it’s us!” She continued beating on the door.

Even Ren joined it.  “We enjoy having Care of Magical Creatures with you!”

But Hagrid didn’t come out, and they headed back to the castle.

 

That weekend, Hogwarts held a Hogsmeade visit for the students, and everyone couldn’t wait to go after several days straight of clouds and rain.

The Gryffindor students went into their usual haunts before going to the Three Broomsticks for lunch and warm Butterbeer, just perfect for chasing the cold from their bones after walking through the chilly February air.

“Does he ever work?” Blake asked.

“Who?” Yang asked.

“Look at the mirror over the bar,” Blake pointed out, and indeed, Ludo Bagman was clearly visible sitting with some goblins around a fire, having a heated discussion.  “Has he even gone back to London since the Tournament began?”

“It doesn’t seem like it,” Ruby replied.  “There’s nothing going on for the tournament this week, as far as I know.”

“He seems like the kind of guy to relive his glory days whenever he can,” Yang added.  “Maybe he’s taking every chance he has to be at Hogwarts.”

“One moment, gentlemen, there’s a lady here I have to speak to,” Bagman was saying, then he turned and headed towards the bar.  “Ruby! How are you? I’ve been hoping I’d see you before the second task!”

“I’m good, thanks,” Ruby said.

“Would you mind stepping out to have a word with me quick?  It won’t be long,” Bagman assured her.

“Um, sure.”  She followed Bagman to the coat closet, where they stood across from each other, stuffed in between everyone’s cloaks and parkas.

“I just wanted to congratulate you on your success against the Horntail.  Really splendid performance, absolutely spectacular,” he said.

“Thanks.”

Bagman looked out at the restaurant.  “It’s an absolute nightmare out there, Ruby.  I don’t speak a word of Gobbeldygook, but that’s all they speak.  Can barely make sense of anything they’re trying to tell me through their accents.”

“What do they want with you?”

“They’re looking for Barty Crouch,” Bagman whispered.

“I don’t think this is the kind of place Mr. Crouch would go to.”

“No, no, it’d be beneath him indeed.  But he hasn’t shown up at the Ministry for weeks now.  His assistant, the rabbit girl, she says he’s sick and he sends her instructions by owl.  But you shouldn’t say anything about this to anyone, please. In fact, I shouldn’t have said anything at all.  Rita Skeeter’s still looking for whatever dirt she can get to spin up into another convoluted scandal, and the Ministry doesn’t really need that on top of everything else, does it?  She’d probably say he’s missing, just like Bertha Jorkins.”

“So they haven’t found her yet?”

“No, I’m afraid not.  It’s very strange, it is.  She definitely showed up in Albania, there are all the travel records and we have witnesses, but she never actually ended up at her aunt’s house.  But no one knows where she is. It’s all very, very odd, and I hope to god she’s just gotten lost somewhere and is having a lovely time.” He focused again.  “Anyway, I wanted to ask you how you were doing with that egg.”

Ruby shrugged.  “I think I know what I should do to solve it.”

Bagman lowered his voice to a whisper.  “Well, Ruby, I know you didn’t want to enter this tournament, and never intended to end up here, and if I can help at all--and I mean with anything at all--just say the word.”

“The clues are individual, aren’t they?”

“Well, yes--”   
“I’m not going to cheat.”

“But don’t you want Hogwarts to win?”

Ruby couldn’t help sounding a bit annoyed at the prodding.  “Pyrrha’s gonna do way better than I am anyway. Why aren’t you offering to cheat for her?”

Bagman frowned.  “Well, if that’s how it’s going to be…”

“Our food will be arriving soon, Mr. Bagman.  I don’t want it to get cold,” Ruby said, and left the coat closet, heading back over to her friends and leaving Bagman to go confront his goblins all by himself.

“I wish he’d stop offering me cheats,” Ruby grumbled as she slid back onto her stool.  “If I’m doing this, I might as well do it fair and square. I shouldn’t win just because I’m the youngest, right?”

“But don’t you want a Hogwarts victory, Ruby?” Yang asked, a playful smile forming on her lips.

“Shut up!” Blake prodded her with a finger, and Yang jumped.

“How is that egg going anyway?” Jaune asked.  

“I’ve got an idea,” Ruby said.  “Just haven’t gotten around to testing it yet.”

“So, about Bagman though,” Blake cut in, “does he want a Hogwarts win, or just a Ruby Rose win?”

“Apparently he just wants me to win,” Ruby muttered.

“That’s really weird,” Jaune said.  “I mean, it’s not like Pyrrha needs the help anyway.”

“Traitor.”  But Yang’s expression made it obvious she wasn’t serious.  “Hey, did he tell you why there were goblins here?”

“Apparently Mr. Crouch is missing,” Ruby said.  “The goblins want to know where he is.”

“But why would the goblins care where he is?” Yang asked.  “Aren’t they like, more debt collection and stuff?”

“Gambling debts?” Blake suggested.  “He offered my dad a bet at the World Cup, after all.”

“Oh no,” Jaune said, looking over towards the door.  He put his cloak over his head, and once the others saw who had just entered the bar, they followed suit.  Rita Skeeter appeared to have just run into Bagman and the goblins that had been badgering him from the way she was talking about writing an article about the Ministry employee being in disgrace.

But Nora, at the other end of the bar, turned and faced her.  “What did Hagrid ever do to you?” she announced loudly, and the rest of the bar quieted down, ready to see what would happen.  She actually looked kind of intimidating. About a half-head shorter than Skeeter, Nora stood toe-to-toe with her, arms akimbo, and her wand in one hand.

“Excuse me, but who are you?” Skeeter asked, bewildered by the sudden confrontation.

“My name is Nora Valkyrie.  Who even cares if Hagrid’s a half-Giant?  Aren’t we supposed to have moved past all that discrimination by now?” Nora glared at her.

“You clearly have no idea about the true nature of giants,” Skeeter said.  

“So what?  You just tear people apart for fun!  Hagrid, Ozpin, Ruby--are we all just pawns in your sick little news game?”

Skeeter sighed in annoyance.  “Sit down, silly girl, and don’t talk about things you can’t hope to understand.  I know things about Ludo Bagman that would make your hair curl. So don’t tell me how to do my job, and I won’t tell you how absolutely pointless your argument is.”  She pushed past Nora, and took a seat at an empty table with her photographer following her and sitting across from her.

Nora spun around and her jaw dropped in anger.  But Ren reached out and put a hand on her arm. “It’s not worth it, Nora.”

“But those things she said about Hagrid--”

“She’s not going to take them back, no matter what you say.”

Nora and Ren paid and left, followed quickly after by the other Gryffindor students who had witnessed the confrontation.

“She’s just going to go after you now,” Ren chided.

“So?  Let her.  Nobody back home reads The Daily Prophet anyway.  It’s not like we’ve got parents that care about what we do.”

Normally Ren, who had witnessed his father die, didn’t take comments like those well.  He didn’t like being reminded of their parents. But knowing Nora knew, and didn’t mean to use the knowledge against him, made Ren feel good.  They had something they could share between the two of them--the most horrible secret, but something that created the most intense bond.

So Ren actually giggled, and Nora smiled, relaxing a bit.  “Do you want to see if Hagrid’s back?”

 

They ran to Hagrid’s door and pounded on it again.  “Hagrid!” Nora shouted.

“We don’t care what she said about you!” Ren rejoined.

“Yeah, Skeeter can go stuff her quill up her rotten, stinking--”

The door opening cut Nora off in surprise.  She nearly fell over as she pulled back to avoid punching Professor Ozpin in the nose.

“Hi, Professor,” she said quietly.  “We came to visit Hagrid. Is he in?”

“Let me assure you that you were not at all subtle, Miss Valkyrie, with your intentions.”  But Professor Ozpin didn’t seem angry at them. “Come in.”

He stepped aside and let Nora and Ren into the small cabin.  Fang, Hagrid’s dog, jumped on Nora and she wrestled on the ground with him for a moment.  But the space seemed tinier and darker than ever with all the patchwork curtains closed and a despondent-looking Hagrid sitting at the table with a mug of coffee and a handkerchief.

“We’re going to need more coffee,” Ozpin said, and summoned a tray of mugs and cookies out of thin air and used his wand to direct it into the center of the table.  He motioned for the students to sit, and joined them. “Now, by the fact that Ms. Valkyrie and Mr. Ren were attempting to batter down your door with their bare hands, I believe it’s irrational to assume that none of the students want you to continue as the Care of Magical Creatures teacher.”

“Everything in that article was just wrong, Hagrid!” Nora added.

“After seeing the letters of everyone else in support of you from former students and parents, you cannot continue to believe that you aren’t a valuable member of this institution.”

“But don’ more of them hate me?” Hagrid wiped his nose.

“I sometimes wonder the same, considering some of the letters I get from parents,” Ozpin said.  “I’m afraid universal adoration is only a myth in this life, Hagrid.”

“But you weren’ raised by Giants!” Hagrid protested.

“Yeah, and according to Skeeter, Ren and I weren’t raised, period.” Nora pointed out.  “I mean, my mom just up and left our apartment when I was a kid. Left to get more drugs and never came back.  I was four years old. She left me to die. So yeah, as long as your parents cared about you, why does it matter who they were?”

“I was...in a similar situation,” Ren agreed.  “I don’t think your parents make you who you are.”

“An excellent insight,” Professor Ozpin said and stood.  “I expect you to be prepared to teach on Monday, Hagrid. Your resignation is rejected.”

Without another word, he walked out of the cabin.

“Ozpin’s pretty great,” Nora said to fill the silence.

“That he is,” Hagrid agreed.  “Ah, you’re all right--I’ve been stupid.  My dad woulda been ashamed of how I been behavin’”.  Hagrid sipped from his mug of coffee. “Sorry about that.  I never knew.”

“We never told you, Hagrid!” Nora said, reaching across the table to grab a cookie from the platter Ozpin had left.  “You couldn’t have known.”

“It sounds horrible to grow up like that,” Hagrid continued.  “My dad, at least, he did love me. Wanted me to never feel ashamed of what I was.”  A genuine smile crossed Hagrid’s face. “You two, you prove them all wrong. Parents don’t mean nothin’ to who you become.  You are gonna be the ones who change the world, Nora and Ren, and show them all how people are so much more than the blood in their veins.  I’m so proud to know you.”

Neither Nora and Ren knew what to say to that.

It was the most sincere praise either of them had ever received.


	15. The Second Task

Ruby finally got around to trying Pyrrha’s trick with the egg.

She took it into the baths in Gryffindor Tower, late at night, climbing out of bed and taking the egg from her trunk.

No one would disturb her this late, would they?  

Ruby didn’t hear a sound as she walked into the girls’ bathroom in the Tower, and as she ran the water in the tub, the only sounds came from the faucet.  To be alone here was odd...kinda eerie, Ruby figured. Maybe she should have brought Yang or Nora or something. The baths were rarely empty.

Ruby slipped out of her pajamas and into the warm water, relaxing instantly.

Listen to it in the bath...well, she could break the egg if it wasn’t waterproof, but here goes.  She’d just have to trust that Pyrrha was really that kind and wouldn’t mislead her.

She put the egg under the water, then took a deep breath and plunged her head in before opening the egg.  To Ruby’s great relief, the thing no longer screamed at her. No, now the noise sounded a lot more like a garbled voice…

Ruby brought her head back above the surface of the water, closed the egg, and opened it again.  A haunting melody, sung by a choir of voices, emerged from the bath.

“Come seek us where our voices sound, we cannot sing above the ground.  And while you’re searching, ponder this: We’ve taken what you’ll sorely miss.  An hour long you’ll have to look, and to recover what we took. But past an hour, the prospect’s black--too late, it’s gone, it won’t come back.”

“But what does it mean?” Ruby wailed into the empty bathroom.  “What’s not going to come back? What happens if I don’t get it back?”

Well, since her friends were asleep and the library wasn’t open, Ruby’s options were rather limited at the moment.  She put on her pajamas and walked back to her bed before turned on the bedside light and grabbing a piece of parchment from her night table.  She made a list.

  1. They can’t go on land.
  2. They’ll take something
  3. I have an hour to get it back
  4. I won’t get it back if I take over an hour



Considering the water’s necessity for understanding the egg, she added a fifth element to the list: 5. Is underwater.

So she’d need to hunt underwater for something, and quickly.

Great.

 

As time passed, Ruby’s anxiety about the next task heightened.  She didn’t feel like she knew what she was doing--and she really didn’t.  With all her classwork, she didn’t have as much time to research long-term underwater breathing methods and creatures as she’d had to learn about dragons last fall.  Plus, Uncle Qrow’s letters made it seem like he wanted to visit, which Ruby didn’t think was a great idea.

But Yang wrote back anyway with the dates of the next Hogsmeade visit, just like she had been asked, and Ruby couldn’t protest because the letter had arrived at breakfast and no one else knew that their uncle had been framed by his sister.  As far as the rest of the world was concerned, Qrow Branwen was a cold-blooded murderer who had killed his sister.

By the evening before the next task, Ruby couldn’t sit still, much less sleep or think.  Yang had tried to do everything within her power to get Ruby to calm down, including baking cookies, visiting the kitchens, playing Wizard chess, betting on Quidditch matches, and throwing some of her leftover dungbombs into the boys’ dorms.

Eventually, everyone else went to bed, leaving Ruby alone in the Common Room with a pile of books, trying to see if maybe the same texts she’d read over and over would suddenly impart new information to her.

 

“Ruby!  Wake up!”  Something shook Ruby’s shoulder so hard that she would have fallen over if not for the table she’d rested her head on.

The voice startled Ruby out of her sleep and she sat bolt upright, disoriented and exhausted.

“What?”

“You need to be at the second task!  Like, right now! It starts in ten minutes!  Dobby just told me. And he gave me this.” Nora reached into her pocket and held out a lump of a green, seaweed-looking plant to Ruby.

“Ohmygod!” Ruby stood up and glanced down at her rumpled clothes.  “I still haven’t figured out what’s going on, it starts in ten minutes, and what is that supposed to do?”  She felt like tearing out her hair and crying and not going to the task, but Ruby knew she couldn’t do that.  You didn’t just break magical contracts, after all.

Now that she’d defeated the Horntail, she was in it to win it.

“It’ll make you able to breathe underwater!” Nora exclaimed, taking Ruby’s hand and folding the plant into her palm.  “Now go!”

Ruby shoved her hand into her pocket and ran downstairs, through the Great Hall, through the Entrance Hall, and out to the shore of the lake where the other champions stood.  By the time she stumbled to a stop, she could barely breathe from sprinting and the stitch in her side was killing her. This magic plant had better work. Ruby doubted she could even swim normally at this point.

Good thing Pyrrha was there.

“Are you okay?” Velvet said, alarmed, as Ruby caught her breath and stood upright again.

Ruby nodded.  “Just overslept.  Sorry.”

Winter rolled her eyes.

Pyrrha gave her a weak smile.

“Ready, Ruby?” Bagman asked.

“Yup!”  Ruby forced a smile and gave him a thumbs-up.  “Ready as can be.”

Mr. Bagman lined them up at the water’s edge before walking up to a raised podium where the rest of the judges sat to begin his commentary.

“Well, all of our champions are ready for the second task, which is to go into the lake and recover what they’ve lost.  On my whistle...one...two...three!” A piercing whistle cut through the air, a sensory shock just as severe as the cold water on Ruby’s feet as she threw her shoes and socks to the side, stuffed the salty plant into her mouth, and ran forward alongside the other contestants.

Her whole body shivered.

The other champions had all vanished underwater by the time the water hit Ruby’s chest.

A moment after she swallowed, Ruby’s entire world seemed to contract, going dark for a moment as pain stabbed the sides of her neck and the bottoms of her feet.  She tried to cry out as she fell forward, but she couldn’t breathe.

The second her body sank underwater, the pain and cold subsided and her head cleared.  She could breathe! She had gills, she could breathe underwater! It felt just as natural as breathing air!

This was awesome!

Renewed by her own thrill, Ruby dove deeper and deeper into the lake until she couldn’t see anything but deep green water around her.

Just as she developed a rhythm to swimming with fins and gills, she felt scaly fingers with long nails brush at her arms and legs.  Ruby jerked out of their grasp and swam faster, but the hands followed her, getting a good grip on one of her legs. Creatures swarmed around her, Ruby just knew more of them were coming.

“Relashio!” she tried, waving her wand in an arc behind her.  The Grindylows, a form of Grimm which lived in water, seemed to experience great pain when hit by the spell, which left their scaly skin blistered and peeling.  Ruby cast the spell a few more times, making even the boldest Grindylows retreat. “Relashio! Relashio!” Once the water around Ruby settled again, she continued swimming until something else stopped her--but not because it attacked.

But because Ruby totally hadn’t expected to see Moaning Myrtle floating in front of her in the water.

“Go that way,” she suggested, pointing to the right.  “A victory for Hogwarts!”

Ruby smiled at her, waved, and swam off.

Weird that she came to the lake, but whatever.  

Ruby continued swimming until she felt seaweed tickle her skin and lick at her limbs.  At one point, she heard more of the haunting singing that had come from the egg: “An hour long you’ll have to look and recover what we took,” the voices teased, and Ruby forced herself to swim faster.

This all felt like it was taking too long!  How big was this lake, anyway?

She began to see what looked like structures sculpted on rocks and turned towards them, following the landmarks of the merpeople civilization and growing more confident that she had reached the right place.

They had to have taken her precious thing, right?  After all, the message in the egg had been sung in a language that couldn’t be interpreted in the air.  Would merpeople have a language like that? They must, if they lived underwater.

Soon, she saw them.  Grey-skinned, the merpeople looked more like fish than humans and watched Ruby as she passed with black, beady eyes.  Ruby waved at them. A few nodded back. 

The merpeople’s settlement began to look more like the towns she recognized as she swam further through it.

Finally, Ruby arrived at what appeared to be the center of the mervillage, a huge, flat stone with a crumbling statue of a merperson at a juncture of several other paths.  Merpeople stood guard around the statue, all singing the haunting song Ruby had first heard in the egg. Each sentry wore armor made of rock and shell and held a spear, but they didn’t attack Ruby, even after she passed through their ranks.  They only watched.

Ruby gasped through her gills when she saw what they’d taken.  She thought they’d take her broom or something--something sentimental but replaceable.  But no, they didn’t have her broom.

They had Yang.  Her long, thick blonde hair formed a halo around her head as it floated in the murky water.  She didn’t seem to be dead, thankfully--her shoulders rose and fell, though Ruby couldn’t tell what she was breathing.

Jaune, Mercury’s girlfriend, and Weiss were tied next to Yang in the same state of suspended animation.

Ruby glanced back at the merpeople as she tested the ropes binding her sister, but they held fast.  So the merpeople wouldn’t stop her, but they wouldn’t help her succeed either. She looked around. Stones mixed with the mud at the bottom of the lake where the merpeople hadn’t created cobblestone paths.

Maybe she could sharpen one of the stray rocks?

Ruby swam off into a muddy patch and began to dig with her hands.  A sharp stone had to be around here somewhere. A piece of trash, even.  There had to be something.

Finally, Ruby chanced upon a flat rock with a bit of an edge, wincing when her fingernails scraped against it.

She swam back to the statue and began to hack at the ropes binding Yang’s midsection.  At first, Ruby didn’t think her stone was sharp enough. It didn’t appear to even fray the ropes.  But eventually, the strands weaved from seaweed began to snap. Every bit of progress gave her more energy, and before Ruby knew it, Yang slid through the water so she lay against the flat stone beneath Ruby’s flippered feet.

Still asleep, though.  Good.

Ruby looked around.  Not a sign of the others anywhere.  She glanced back at the hostages. 

Would they all die if no one else came?

Yang was important, but Weiss and Jaune were her friends, and Ruby knew that she couldn’t have this on her conscience, not if she had a chance to rescue them.

She moved to Weiss’s bindings when she felt a prick through her robes, right between her shoulder blades.

“Leave the others,” a merperson’s voice said.

“They’re my friends too!” Ruby tried to shout back, but her voice didn’t make a sound.

The spear left her back and Ruby turned to see what had caught their attention.  Winter swam down towards them, a giant bubble surrounding her head. She looked at Ruby, obviously a bit confused about why she wouldn’t just go back up after freeing Yang, but cut Weiss free with a short, carved knife from her belt before swimming off and pulling her sister behind her.

Ruby thought she saw Winter look back over her shoulder and give a nod, but it might have been her imagination.

So.  What about Pyrrha and Mercury?

Their hour had to be up soon.  It’d taken forever just to reach the hostages.

Mercury showed up a minute later, his prostheses transfigured into fins and a bubble around his own head.  “What the hell do you think you’re doing?” Mercury demanded, his voice sounding echo-y within the dome around his head.

He waved his wand in an arc and icicles shot through the water at Ruby, who only barely managed to get out of the way.  They hit the statue behind her, one of which severed his girlfriend’s bonds on her left side.

The merpeople were on him in a moment, using their spears to force him back, which Mercury responded to by raising both hands in a cocky, sarcastic gesture of surrender.

“I’m just gonna get Em, jeez,” he said, and swam over the merpeople and to his hostage.  “I thought Ruby was messing with her.”

He picked up a rock and used a spell to sharpen it before cutting Em free from the statue and swimming off, maybe-accidentally, maybe-intentionally kicking Ruby with his prosthetics and knocking her to one knee, which gave the merpeople a chance to approach.

Ruby pushed the nearest merperson backwards as she stood and held up her wand.  “Relashio!” She used the spell to churn up the mud and weeds around the square, and used her rock to slice Jaune free once she’d created enough chaos.

Ruby grabbed Jaune in one hand and Yang in the other and began to swim, thankful once again that her fins could propel her upwards faster than she could normally swim.  She had no idea how long the spell on them would last.

But going back up wasn’t any easier than going down. Ruby’s arms begin to tire and she felt as if she were gasping for breath (water?)  She couldn’t carry them both.

A few meters later and Ruby felt a burning pain in her neck.  At first, she thought it came from straining so hard to carry her sister and her friend through the water.  Then she realized that the water had become harder to breathe. Swimming, too, felt like more of an effort as her fins turned back to feet.

And it was still so dark!

Ruby struggled, forcing herself upward.  She was so close. She couldn’t give in now.  She had to be close, or she wouldn’t make it back.

Finally, finally, the water over her head lightened and Ruby’s head broke through the surface. She gasped for breath, taking in huge gulps of air and watching the world regain its color and vibrancy as Yang and Jaune regained consciousness beside her.

“Woot!  You did it, Ruby!” Yang cheered, treading water and lifting her arms above her head.  Then she noticed Jaune beside them “Wait, why’d you take him too?”

“I didn’t want him to be left behind,” Ruby gasped out.

“Jaune!” A shout came from the shore.  Pyrrha, wrapped in a blanket, stood on one foot.  Her other leg was wrapped in a blood-stained bandage.  

“Pyrrha!  Are you okay?” Jaune swam towards her, and Ruby and Yang followed. 

“Dumb move,” Yang muttered. “You better get points for strength of character or something.”

“Grindylows,” Pyrrha was saying when they reached the shore.  “One bit my leg while they tried to drag me down.” 

Madam Pomfrey immediately gave Ruby her own blanket and a warming potion.  Once she’d gotten settled in a chair, Pyrrha had returned to hers, right next to Ruby.  “You did really well. Thank you for taking care of Jaune.”

“It’s no problem,” Ruby said, blushing.  “He’s my friend too.”

“Ruby stayed for Weiss too,” Winter said from her seat.  “When I arrived, she had already freed Yang. Her display of selflessness, while foolish, demonstrated admirable bravery.”

Weiss gave Ruby a nod and a small smile. “Dumb.  Like I said.” But there was no malice in Yang’s voice, only relief.

Before Ruby could reply, Ludo Bagman’s voice echoed through the air, startling everyone.  “Ladies and gentlemen, we have reached our decision. Merchieftanness Murcus has told us exactly what happened at the bottom of the lake, and we have decided to award points out of fifty for each champion.  So, without further ado, to the scores! Pyrrha Nikos, although demonstrating mastery of the Bubble Head charm, faced a Grindylow attack and suffered an injury that lead her to withdraw from the challenge. For this, she is awarded thirty points.”

Pyrrha shook her head.  “But that doesn’t make sense!”

“Winter Schnee, who also used the Bubble Head Charm, returned first with her hostage, though she returned one minute outside the time limit of an hour.  We therefore award her forty-five points.”

The crowd cheered again.

“The next to return was Mercury Black, although the merpeople are conflicted about whether or not he intentionally attacked Ruby Rose while both retrieved their hostages.  He used a combination of Transfiguration on his prostheses and the Bubble Head charm to reach his goal. However, since Black deliberately interfered with another champion, his score is docked to twenty points.”

Mercury kicked at the ground in frustration.

“Ruby Rose used gillyweed in order to reach her hostage and returned last.  However, she reached the hostages first. According to the merpeople, she intended to stay and ensure that all hostages reached the surface safely.  This demonstrates Miss Rose’s exceptional moral fiber, and most judges felt that the time penalty should be ignored in her case due to these exceptional circumstances.  Miss Rose earns forty-seven points.”

Yang picked up her sister in a hug.  “Guess it pays off to be as nice as you are,” she said affectionately.

“The third and final task will take place on June twenty-fourth,” Bagman continued over the applause.  “The champions will learn the details one month in advance. Thank you all for coming to the Hogwarts Triwizard Tournament!”


	16. Uncle Qrow

The sisters heard from Qrow again shortly after Ruby’s victory, necessitating another trip to Moaning Myrtle’s toilet and a lot of promises of silence.

He’d sent a small parchment with short instructions written out for them, telling them to meet him at an old silo out past the end of the road, all the way past Dervish and Banges and into the farmland surrounding the small town.  And, underlined, an instruction telling them to bring food, if they could get it without being caught.

“That’s easy enough,” Yang said.  “The House Elves jump at the chance to get people food.”

“Yang!  That’s not what we should focus on here!” Ruby chided her sister.  “Qrow is in Hogsmeade!” she whispered.

“At least it’s better than last year,” Yang whispered back.  “No Dementors, and they don’t know he’s a bird. Maybe if we just go see him, we can convince him that everything is fine, we’ve got it under control, and he can go back to wherever he’s been hiding.”

Ruby didn’t have a better idea.

 

That Saturday, around two, they hefted their heavy bags (filled with food, a picnic blanket, and plastic dishes) down the main road and past all the shops and houses, slowly getting further and further away from their classmates.

“If Goodwitch catches us, we’re dead,” Ruby muttered.

“Why would Goodwitch be over here anyway?” 

They walked the rest of the way mostly in silence, steeling themselves against the cool, damp March winds.  As they reached the farm, they saw a black bird sitting in a tree next to a silo, its red eyes flashing intelligently.

As they got close, the crow cawed and flew off, circling once overhead before flying towards the mountain in the distance.  Ruby and Yang had to run to keep up. Ruby wanted to tell Qrow to slow down, but knew that doing that would be the opposite of subtle, and they needed to keep their uncle hidden above all else.

When they reached the base of the mountain, Ruby and Yang’s journey got a lot harder.  They clambered over rocks and through thick brush that came nearly to their waists at parts as they struggled to match the pace of a flying bird hopping from perch to perch.

After climbing for awhile, they saw Qrow vanish into the top of a tree.  Ruby sighed in frustration as Yang got her hands ready on the lower branches.  

“Ow!”

A rope ladder glanced off of Yang’s head.  The girls looked up. Their uncle stood on a concealed platform within the thick branches at the top of the tree, smiling down at them.  

As Ruby climbed, she couldn’t help but think Uncle Qrow looked like a mess.  Although he smiled, his hair had grown down past his ears again and his thin robes were dirty and ripped.  He also looked much more gaunt.

“Let’s eat,” he said, sitting down on the platform as Ruby and Yang set down their bags.  He rubbed his hands together. “I’m starving.”

Ruby and Yang assembled the picnic in front of their uncle, who barely looked like he could contain his excitement.  “You have chicken!” he exclaimed before taking one of the sandwiches and taking a huge bite. “This is so much better than squirrel!”

“You’ve been eating squirrels?” Ruby asked.

“I’m still a convicted criminal, you know.  Five star restaurants don’t exactly send me invitations.”  Qrow took another sandwich from the pile. “God, I missed Hogwarts food. Hell, I miss food in general.”

They ate and made small talk about classes and life before Ruby finally brought up the elephant in the room.  “Why are you here, Uncle Qrow?”

“Keeping my promise to your old man to watch over you guys,” Qrow said, taking a bottle of juice.  “Then again, I also think your dad is lying to himself when he says this cult stuff isn’t a huge deal, so needless to say, we have our disagreements.”  Qrow took a drink and frowned. “Next time, bring alcohol.”

“Uncle Qrow!” Ruby admonished while Yang laughed. She reached over and reached into a crate that Qrow had on the platform. 

“Why do you have a box full of newspapers?” she asked.

“How else am I supposed to know what’s going on?”  He looked at the issue of The Daily Prophet Yang paged through as Ruby looked over her shoulder.  “So, who’s representing Crouch for the tournament?”

Yang flipped to the front page of the paper, which was adorned with a huge headline about Barty Crouch being missing since November.

“His assistant said he was sick,” Ruby remembered.  “She’s a Rabbit Faunus. Velvet, I think her name was.  I met her at the Yule Ball.”

“Velvet Scarlatina?” Qrow asked.  “She was always a know-it-all.”

“They make it sound like Crouch died in here,” Yang said as she continued to skim.  “But maybe...nope, it’s not written by Rita Skeeter.” She looked up at her uncle. “Do you think he’s dead?”

Qrow let out a short, harsh laugh.  “No. But I don’t think he’s sick like they say, either.  Let’s just say he’s not the kind of guy who skips work for some sniffles.”

“Do you know him?” Ruby asked.

Qrow’s expression darkened.  “I know him, all right. That bastard’s the reason I was ever in Azkaban in the first place.”

“How?” Yang demanded.

“Crouch was head of Magical Law Enforcement when Raven committed the massacre.  Would have been the Minister of Magic too, if not for---agh, I hate politics.” Qrow lay back and put his arms under his head.  “So, politics. Crouch got popular by giving the Aurors new powers just as Summer and Tai got done with their training. As far as I know, your mom and dad never abused them, but a lot of people did and got away with it.  Crouch tried to get down on the same level as the criminals to beat them at their own game and failed miserably. A lot of people like me faced imprisonment without trial, interrogations with torture, the whole nine yards.  It was brutal, cruel, and mostly totally unnecessary. As soon as the Ministry got enough dirt on Crouch to fire him, he was out, but he slipped enough money to the Minister under the table that she just shunted him off to the side in the Department of International Magical Cooperation, where he wouldn’t be in the news and everyone would just forget he existed.”

“So what did they find on him?” Yang asked.

“Crouch’s son had ties to a Salem cult.  He and I were in Azkaban together.”

“You knew his son too?” Ruby asked.

“Not personally.  Saw him maybe once or twice.  Azkaban doesn’t really put you in a neighborly mood, if you know what I mean.  He died about a year after he arrived. Crouch didn’t even come to pick up the body. So, shows what kind of person Crouch is.”

“He sounds awful,” Yang agreed

“Anyway, I just wanted to check up on you.”  Qrow sat back up. “It’s always good to see my favorite nieces again, and have real food for once.  Didn’t intend to spend the whole time talking politics, but hey, sometimes that happens. It’ll be around 3:30 by the time you get back if you leave now, and I don’t want anyone getting suspicious if they haven’t run into you in town for awhile.  Come on, I’ll fly back with you.”

 

As Ruby and Yang walked down the main street, Yang spoke up.  “Do you think squirrel tastes like chicken?”

The crow sitting on the roof of Dervish and Banges cawed.


	17. Finding Crouch

Nora took Ruby back down to the kitchen that Saturday, clutching the thank-you card she’d made for Dobby for helping Ruby out in the challenge.  Ruby had signed it too.

“She was awesome, Dobby!” Nora exclaimed, and made Ruby give them a blow-by-blow account of what had happened underneath the surface of the lake.  Ruby blushed, but did as asked, and a small crowd of elves gathered to hear the tale.

“Sorry if we’re interrupting,” Ruby finished.  “You guys must be really busy with the tournament.”

“Not too much more busy than usual, Ruby Rose!” Dobby replied cheerfully.  “The House Elves is liking the extra work.”

“That’s great,” Nora said, but something caught her eye.  “Hey, Dobby, is Winky okay?”

Ruby followed Nora’s gaze and spotted Winky sitting alone on a stool in front of a fire, a bottle of butterbeer in her hand.

“Winky is drinking six bottles a day,” Dobby whispered.

“But it’s not strong, right?”

Dobby shook his head, his huge ears flapping with the motion.  “Is for a House Elf.” He sighed. “Winky thinks Mr. Crouch is still her master.  She wants to go home.”

Ruby remembered what her uncle had told her.  She got down on one knee next to Winky. “Have you heard anything from Mr. Crouch?” she asked.  “His assistant says he’s sick.”

Winky’s eyes widened.  “Master is sick?” she slurred.  “Master needs Winky!” And with that, Winky began to sob, crying for her helpless master.

“I’m sorry,” Ruby said, backing away.  “I didn’t--I just wanted to know if he was okay.”

“It’s okay, Ruby.” Nora put a hand on her friend’s arm.  

“Winky keeps her master’s secrets!” Winky insisted.  “Yous nosing! Nosing!”

“We’ll stop asking questions now,” Nora reassured her.  “Um, maybe we should just go, Ruby.”

And with that, they bade Dobby goodbye and headed back to Gryffindor Tower.

“I wish we could do something for Winky,” Nora said quietly.  “But I don’t think so. It’s one of those things she’ll have to think through on her own.”

 

On May twenty-fourth, Ruby encountered Pyrrha in the Entrance Hall on her way to go out to the Quidditch pitch and learn about the last task.  “What do you think we’ll have to do?”

“I don’t know,” Pyrrha admitted.  “We’ve already had to do searching and fighting tasks.  Perhaps the next task is some sort of puzzle.”

“It would make sense,” Ruby agreed.  “For as much fun as this tournament is, I really can’t wait to get back to the yearly Quidditch tournament.  I feel like I’ve barely touched my broom all year.”

“I agree,” Pyrrha said.  “Still, it’s an honor to have had the opportunity to compete in the Triwizard Tournament before graduating.”

“What are you going to do after you get out of school?”

Pyrrha shrugged.  “I’m considering trying out for one of the Quidditch leagues.  If I don’t make it there, well, then I think I might like to become a teacher.”

“You do a really good job of watching out for the younger kids in Ravenclaw.”

“Thanks.  It’s just, well--everybody needs somebody sometimes, you know?  I think I like being that somebody.”

Ruby looked up at her as they approached the Quidditch field.  “Whatever you do, Pyrrha, you’ll be amazing.”

But Pyrrha didn’t seem to hear her.  She was too focused on what had been done to their Quidditch pitch.  “Oh, I hope that they don’t plan on keeping those hedges there!”

Ruby saw what Pyrrha was staring at and had to agree.  Waist-high hedges crisscrossed the field, creating what appeared to be a maze, the entrance of which was blocked by a golden ribbon.  Bagman and the other champions stood just beside it.

“Hello there!” Bagman called, waving to them.  “Do you like the modifications we’ve made to your Quidditch field?  In a month, they’ll be twenty feet high!” He patted one of the hedges.  “Of course, your pitch will be returned to normal after the last task is complete, don’t worry!  Now, can anyone guess--”

“It’s a maze,” Mercury said, his arms crossed over his chest.

“That’s right!” Bagman beamed at Mercury, who scowled.  “All you have to do is get to the Triwizard Cup at the center of the maze.  The first one to touch it is the winner. Simple enough, right?”

“There has to be a catch,” Winter said.

“Oh, of course there will be obstacles--creatures you must pass, spells you must break, traps you must avoid--but otherwise, your goal is just to reach the Cup.  You’ll all start from different points in the maze, face different challenges. I daresay it’ll be quite the event. Now, does anyone have any questions?”

The students stared up at him.

“Well, I suppose we should all head back,” Bagman said, glancing at the darkening sky.  “Supposed to be a spot of rain tonight.”

Ruby found herself walking with Winter back to the castle.  “You’re friends with my sister?” she asked.

“Yeah, I guess so.  It’s not like I see her a lot, though.”

Winter nodded.  “Weiss speaks highly of you.”

“Well, she admires you too,” Ruby said.  “I can see it in the way she looks at you.”

“I wish Weiss had come to Beauxbatons with me,” Winter said.  “She could be free to speak her mind without having to worry about--what’s that?” And Winter took off towards the Forbidden Forest, past the cabin constructed for the Beauxbatons students, and Ruby followed right on her heels.

“Wait!  Winter!” Ruby called, but Winter didn’t stop until she reached the edge of the woods, where a disheveled man stood and conversed with a tree as if it could respond.  His hair looked like a dirty, greasy mop and his robes seemed threadbare in places. His skin was pale and his eyes were bloodshot. He didn’t look well, not at all.

“And when you’ve done that, Scarlatina, send an owl to Ozpin confirming the number of Durmstrang students who will be attending the tournament, Lionheart has just sent word that there will be twelve…”

“That’s one of the judges,” Winter whispered.

“Mr. Crouch?” Ruby asked.

“And then send another owl to Ironwood, because he might want to up the number of students he’s bringing now that Lionheart’s made it a round dozen.  Do that, Scarlatina, will you? Will you? Will you?”

He continued repeating those words as he fell sideways to the ground.  Winter knelt down next to him and felt for a pulse. “Ozpin!” he shouted.  “I need Ozpin, get me Ozpin!”

“You need to stand up,” Winter said, grasping his hands.  “Then we can find Ozpin.”

But Crouch went limp like a sack of potatoes and was just too heavy for Winter’s lithe form to lift.  “I’ve done a stupid thing,” he lamented as his eyes rolled and drool trickled from his lips. “Stupid, stupid.  Must tell Ozpin.”

His head lolled back and his eyes focused on Ruby.  “You have silver eyes,” he breathed.

“I’m not going to be able to move him safely on my own.” Winter looked up at Ruby.  “Go get Professor Ozpin. Quickly!” she snapped, shocking Ruby out of her frozen state.

Ruby took off at a dead run towards the castle, pushing through the huge doors and dashing up the grand marble staircase.  But then she realized something: she had no idea where Professor Ozpin’s office was. 

She stood on the second floor, looking both ways and trying to figure out which one would be more likely to have the headmaster’s office when Professor Oobleck came striding down the hallway.  

“Professor!” 

“What is it, Miss Rose?”

Ruby jogged over to him.  “Barty Crouch! He’s outside!  In the Forest! Winter and I, we saw him--”

“Are you sure, Ruby?  Are you absolutely sure?”

“Yes!  He kept talking like Miss Scarlatina was there, like he was still planning the tournament.  Please, we need to get Professor Ozpin!”

“I’ll handle this,” Oobleck said firmly.  “Come on, Miss Rose.” He walked down the hallway towards the stairs, his long strides carrying him quickly towards the entrance while Ruby stood there.  

“But he requested Professor Ozpin,” she argued weakly, following him.

Oobleck slowed down to let Ruby lead the way once they got outside.  Ruby showed him to the edge of the Forbidden Forest where they’d seen Crouch and where she’d left Winter standing guard.  “He was acting really weird,” Ruby said as she stopped and scanned the edge of the Forest for Winter. “Huh, I don’t see Winter…”

Professor Oobleck pushed forward into the first layers of trees.  “Miss Schnee? Mr. Crouch? Are you here?” He lit his wand and pushed forward, continuing to call out.  “Winter! Bartemius!”

Suddenly he stopped and dropped to his knees.  “Miss Schnee!”

Winter lay on the ground, still as the logs they’d stepped over on their way through the woods.  “She’s been stunned,” Oobleck muttered, before pointing his wand at her chest. “Ennervate.”

Winter’s eyes flickered open.  “He caught me by surprise!” Winter exclaimed, and moved to sit up, but Oobleck pushed her back down.

“You’ll only disorient yourself,” he warned her.  “Stay there. Ruby, with me.”

“Shouldn’t I--”

“Neither one of you are leaving my sight until this situation is resolved.  If Crouch truly isn’t in his right mind, I’m not taking any unnecessary risks.”

Footsteps approached and Hagrid’s large silhouette appeared in the trees.  He carried a crossbow and a large, slobbery dog stood attentively by his knee.  He looked like he’d been hunting. “What’s goin’ on here, Oobleck?” 

“Hagrid, I need you to get Ozpin and Ironwood.  Winter’s been attacked,” he explained. “Maybe Moody, too, it depends on what Ozpin thinks is necessary…”

“Understood, Professor.” Hagrid turned and strode off into the woods and the dog matched his gait, stride for stride.

“And now we wait,” Oobleck muttered under his breath, not letting his guard down.

They didn’t have to wait long.  A few minutes later, Professor Moody pushed his way through the branches.  “Hagrid said something about an attack?” he said, struggling to make his way through the ragged and unkempt trails.

“Mr. Crouch attacked Miss Schnee here, Moody.  Miss Rose also claims to have seen him. It is imperative that we find him, and quickly.”

“I hear you, Professor,” Moody said.  He turned and went deeper into the forest, cursing as he forced his way through the trees.

They waited in tense silence again until Ozpin and Ironwood arrived with Hagrid, the green and blue lights from their wands bathing the trees in an eerie light.  “This is outrageous, Ozpin,” Ironwood said in a low tone.

“Sir, Professor Oobleck and Ruby had nothing to do with this,” Winter said, standing shakily and balancing herself on a tree.  “Mr. Crouch stunned me. Ruby verified his identity.”

“Bartemius Crouch?” Ironwood asked Ozpin, raising one eyebrow.  “Are you expecting me to believe that nonsense, Ozpin?”

“James--”

“Because as far as I have been assured, Crouch has been too ill this entire year to judge the tournament.   Which means that if he is here, and especially if he is attacking my student, that treachery of some kind is occurring.  I’ve made no secret about the fact that I don’t trust your judgement, Ozpin. But this crosses a line. You are unfit to host this tournament.  You are unfit to run this school. Your time for retirement has long past, and this--you will pay for this.” Ironwood’s intense stare intimidated Ruby, even though it wasn’t directed at her.  The shorter Professor Ozpin matched it unflinchingly.

“Professor Ozpin hasn’t done nothin’ wrong!” Hagrid roared.  “If Ozpin believes Crouch was here, then he was here!”

Hagrid’s outburst broke the staring match.

“Hagrid, please escort Miss Rose to Gryffindor Tower,” Ozpin said in an unnervingly calm voice.  Someone whose green-eyed gaze could pierce iron should not have the capability to sound so peaceful.  “Ruby, once you return to the Tower, you are not to leave for the remainder of the night. Do you understand?”

“Yes, sir,” Ruby answered automatically.

“I’ll leave Fang here,” Hagrid said, and ordered the dog to stay.  “C’mon, Ruby.”

Ruby followed Hagrid out of the Forest and up towards the castle.  She had to scurry to keep up with Hagrid’s long strides.

“How dare he accuse Ozpin of anythin’!” Hagrid grumbled as they made their way up the hill.  “Like Ozpin would put you in danger like that! Like he’d try to cheat! Ozpin’s been as worried as I’ve ever seen him ‘bout you, Ruby!  This tournament’s got him all on edge!” And he turned to her. “Why were you with Winter?”

“What?”

“She coulda jinxed you!  Tried to get your secrets!  Haven’ you listened to Professor Moody at all this year?”

“I was talking to her!  About Weiss!” Ruby protested.

“Still don’ trust any of ‘em.  Winter doesn’t have any reason to care for her sister.  You can’ trust anything she says to you.”

Their stormy moods remained until Hagrid bade Ruby goodbye at the Gryffindor portrait hole.

 

“Crouch attacked Winter?” Blake repeated.  “How could he just appear in the middle of the Forbidden Forest anyway?  Isn’t it warded?”

“He can Apparate, right?  Like, bam!” Yang snapped her fingers and spread her hands.  “In the forest.”

“Not on Hogwarts grounds, dumbass,” Blake shot back.  

“Okay, what about this, then?  Ironwood’s pretty salty about Ruby being in the tournament, thinks the Ministry of Magic messed it up, so Winter attacks Crouch and he retaliates by Stunning her?” 

“I don’t think he was strong enough to do that,” Ruby replied.  “He just fell over when we found him, not making any sense at all.  How well can you use magic if you can’t even stand up?”

Nobody seemed to know the answer, though the girls agreed that it was definitely harder to use magic if you were tired and unfocused.

“Maybe Hagrid was right, Ruby,” Nora said from where she sat on the floor at the end of her bed.  “Maybe you shouldn’t have talked to Winter.”

“What do you mean?” Yang asked.

“I mean that, no offense, but Winter doesn’t have any reason to care about Weiss.  She made her choice and hasn’t seen her in years. She could have cared about her and saw her and stuff, but she didn’t.  So yeah, I really don’t know why you would have talked to her at all when you’re competing against her.”

“I was trying to be nice!  And besides, you can still love someone even if you don’t see them!  Maybe she just couldn’t get Weiss by herself because their dad refused to talk to her!  Or maybe they blocked her letters and everything!”

“Maybe, but I’m with Nora on this one,” Yang said.  “It’s unlikely. But hey, maybe she is a better person than we give her credit for.”  She stood and stretched. “Let’s go talk to Professor Moody. Maybe he’ll be able to tell us what happened once and for all last night.”

So the girls went to his office.  

“Come in,” Moody said from where he sat at his desk, a stack of paper and a quill with red ink all set up in front of him.  “Now, what brings you girls here?”

“We wanted to know if you found Mr. Crouch,” Yang volunteered.  “Ruby told us what happened.”

“No, I didn’t find him,” Crouch said, leaning back in his chair.

“Okay, but if he couldn’t disapparate, then could he have gotten out of Hogwarts some other way?” Ruby asked.  “There are all sorts of passages into the castle and grounds.”

“Someone could have used one of those to kidnap him,” Blake suggested.  “But I think that would only have worked if there’s one in the Forbidden Forest.  Do you remember if there’s one, Yang?”

“It goes to Hogsmeade,” Yang said.  “But it’s on the other side of the forest, not where Ruby saw Crouch.  So they’d either need to be able to run through the forest without alerting Hagrid or Professor Moody, or they’d have to Apparate.”

Moody nodded.  “You remind me of your father, Xiao Long.  You’ve got the same sort of sense about you.”

Yang beamed.

“But I’ll tell you now--Ozpin knows you’ve got noses for trouble.  And he knows that you think you’ll keep looking for Crouch. Well, let me tell you that you’re not going to find anything.  The Ministry’s taking over the search now, and if they hear about some students mucking about with their work, well, let’s just say your parents are going to be very disappointed in you.  So I recommend that Rose focuses on the third task, while you three keep an eye out for anything strange.” He took a drink from a flask. “You can never have too many eyes out.”


	18. Pasts and Futures

Two days later, the letter Ruby and Yang had composed for their uncle about Crouch in the woods got a response.  

 

_ What the hell were you thinking, Ruby?  Walking with Winter at night? Never mind the fact that she could be trying to figure you out so she can take advantage of you in the last task, someone is clearly out there with an intent to do harm.  When Crouch was wandering in the woods, someone had to be there to stun Winter. You could have been hurt/killed if you’d stayed any longer. You got lucky. You’re not going to get lucky every time. And your time is running out. _

_ Remember our discussion about how someone is probably out to get Ruby?  Well, they’re down to their last chances--and their last big chance is the maze.  You girls need to stick close together. Practice curses, hexes--I recommend Stunning and Disarming, they’re pretty good for lots of situations--just be ready for anything.   _

_ And don’t leave the castle unless you have to.  You’re more vulnerable on the grounds. _

_ Qrow _

 

“See?” Yang asked triumphantly.  “He agrees. You shouldn’t be around Winter.”

“Whatever,” Ruby said, even though she believed that Winter did genuinely care about her sister and wouldn’t harm her.  “I’m just looking forward to the day when you stop being my babysitter.”

“I’m not your babysitter,” Yang said.  

“Okay, but if they’re actually trying to kill me, they’re awful at it!  I’m not dead yet! I haven’t even really been injured.”

“Well, if they’re smart, they’ll want the injury to look plausible,” Blake interjected.  “That’s a bit more complicated than just coming out and killing you. They probably want to avoid a formal investigation at all costs.”

“See?” Yang repeated.  “Blake gets it.”

“Well, you don’t have to worry, Ruby!” Nora said, waving her fork in the air.  “You’ve got an army of bodyguards! Me, Ren, Blake, Yang, Jaune, we can all keep an eye out for you.”

“That’s actually a good idea,” Ren interjected.  “They might get suspicious if the same person is always around Ruby.”

Ruby sighed.  Apparently her friends would ensure she had bodyguard detail, whether she wanted it or not.

 

Ruby fell asleep in Divination.

But that wasn’t out of the ordinary.  Everyone fell asleep in Divination. Professor Trelawney kept the room warm and dark, had them sit in comfy chairs, and filled the air with the most noxious incense known to man.

And well, with all the tournament preparation she was doing, it wasn’t like Ruby got eight solid hours of sleep a night.  Not when the library stayed open until curfew.

No, the unusual part of it was that Ruby dreamed.

She saw a chamber, a room made of a dark grey stone which seemed to absorb all light.  Black crystals grew underneath the windows, spaced regularly along the walls, emitting a strange purple light that bathed everything in an eerie glow.  In the center of the room sat a long, stone table with a surface made of the same type of crystal growing underneath the windows, emitting the same weird light.  Chairs of old wood and stumps sat around the table, except for one chair at the head. A throne made of obsidian crystals sat there, and in the chair sat...Salem?

It certainly looked like the otherworldly silhouette Ruby had seen in the Impression.  Her white hair was tied into a large bun on the back of her head with smaller tails held together with black ribbons.  A woman in a long red dress with short dark hair stood at her side. 

A door opened at the other end of the room and Raven walked in.  She knelt down in front of the throne and the woman.

“You are lucky, Raven,” Salem said.  “His death did not require your intervention after all.”

“Mistress,” Raven said.  “Forgive me.”

“You cannot command me,” Salem said.  “Cinder, if you would be so kind?”

Cinder--could it be Cinder Fall, the girl whose soul had sucked out Ruby’s own in her second year--lifted one arm draped in deep red cloth, pointing it at Raven.  The fabric covered her hand, and only the tip of her wand could be seen.

“Crucio,” she rasped.

And Raven began to scream.

 

Ruby sat bolt upright, screaming herself.  The class stared at her in concern. “Are you okay?” Jaune asked.

“Of course she isn’t!” Professor Trelawney swooped in like an overlarge bat in gaudy robes.  “What was it, Rose? A premonition? What did you see?”

“I didn’t see anything,” Ruby said, but her voice shook.  “I just...I had one of those nightmares where you feel like you’re falling.  Normal nightmares.”

Professor Trelawney placed a hand over her heart and collapsed into a chair.  “Oh, my dear! I’m afraid...I’m afraid...oh, I can’t say!” And she began to sob.

Ruby pushed her chair away from the table and stood.  “I’m gonna get a drink,” she said and grabbed her bag before climbing down the ladder.  She needed to find Professor Ozpin’s office. She had to tell him about her dream, because as often as Professor Trelawney was wrong, she’d gotten this right.  The dream hadn’t felt normal at all.

“I think that perhaps, you should have waited to discuss this until we were in my office,” Ozpin said as he, Moody, and the Minister of Magic turned and started going down the staircase to the Entrance Hall.  “Miss Rose. What are you doing out of class?” Ozpin had spotted her walking to the stairs.

“I need to talk to you, Professor,” Ruby said.  

“You found Mr. Crouch on the grounds, correct?” the Minister asked her.  “With Miss Schnee?”

“Yeah, I did.”

“Well, we’re about to go on a walk of the grounds, just to make sure nothing is hiding out there.”  The Minister gave Ruby an indulgent smile, like one gives a small child as they send them away to play while their parents work.  “So perhaps you should return to talk to Professor Ozpin later.”

“No, Miss Rose can wait in my office.  She has proven herself to be a rather trustworthy and upstanding student over the past few years.  Ruby, the entrance is at the gargoyle on the second floor. The password is ‘Cockroach Cluster’.” Somehow, Ozpin seemed to know that Ruby wasn’t bothering him with a petty concern.

Ruby climbed up the tight spiral staircase inside the statue and pushed open the heavy wooden door.  

Professor Ozpin’s office was a large room at the top of the tower full of magical devices and artifacts on desks and in cupboards and on shelves.  Fawkes the phoenix, who had saved Nora’s life in the Chamber of Secrets, sat on a perch in front of the window. Ruby walked over to the red and gold bird.  “Hey, Fawkes.” She reached out with one hand, and Fawkes let her pet his head.

As Ruby surveyed the room, she noticed a soft light coming from inside one of the cabinets.

It looked like a bowl from over by Ozpin’s desk, but she wasn’t sure.  Ruby gave Fawkes one last pat and walked over to investigate.

She knelt down in front of the cupboard.  A large, shallow stone bowl sat inside, the glow only visible through the cracked door. Ruby pulled it open further, and leaned in to get a better look.

The liquid inside of the bowl glowed like liquid moonlight.

Ruby tapped the substance cautiously with her wand, wondering what it did.  She’d never seen anything like it before. Ripples spread out over the surface of the bowl from where she’d touched it. The glow faded and an image of a dark courtroom appeared on the basin’s surface.

Was this for scrying?  

Ruby leaned close enough to the bowl that her nose nearly touched the liquid.  From her perspective, the people in the cavernous room looked like ants.

Suddenly, the world lurched and Ruby felt the sensation of flying through the air a moment before she found herself inside the bowl, sitting up at the bench with the judges.  “Professor Ozpin!” she exclaimed in surprise, her voice echoing through the room. But no one noticed at all. Not even her teacher, who sat beside her.

Weird.

Instead, everyone watched the far corner of the room.  Ludo Bagman walked in through a door. A younger Ludo Bagman, to be specific.  His hair didn’t have the grey streaks, and his physique was all lean muscle from playing Quidditch.  He walked towards the center of the room and sat in a chair with manacles on the arms and legs, and he looked very tense, as if anticipating something unpleasant.

But the manacles didn’t close and Bagman relaxed.

Mr. Crouch, who sat at the center of their bench, began to speak.  “Ludo Bagman, you have been brought here in front of the Council of Magical Law to answer charges related to activities by a Salem cult.  We have heard evidence against you and are about to reach a verdict. Do you have anything to add to your testimony before we deliver your sentence?”

The room sat in complete silence for a moment.

“Well, I know I’ve been a bit of an idiot,” Bagman said with a bashful smile.

“A truer word’s never been spoken,” someone muttered from behind Ruby, and she spun to see Mad-Eye Moody sitting behind them.  Like the others she recognized in the room, he looked far younger and more fit.

“Ludovic Bagman, you were caught passing information on to a Salem cult,” Mr. Crouch continued once it was evident that Bagman had finished. “For this, I suggest a sentence in Azkaban--”

People in the crowd began to murmur amongst themselves.  Most of them didn’t sound pleased at the idea Bagman would be spending the near future in Azkaban.

“I had no idea!” Bagman protested.  “Watts was a friend of my dad’s! Never crossed my mind that he’d join one of those looney cults!  And Watts kept telling me he’d get me a job at the Ministry. I can’t keep getting hit by Bludgers for the rest of my life, can I?”

Crouch banged a gavel on the bench and the courtroom quieted.  “It will be put to a vote. Those in favor of imprisonment, please raise your hands.”

But the jury didn’t.  Instead, many of them began to clap and shout congratulations for Bagman’s Quidditch performance that past Saturday, causing Crouch to scowl.

Bagman stood and waved to his fans.

“What a farce,” Crouch growled to Ozpin.  “Ludo Bagman, working for the Ministry...ridiculous…”

The scene faded and shifted around Ruby as if she’d momentarily stepped into a watercolor painting.  The courtroom returned a moment later, but this time, the atmosphere had totally changed.

Crouch looked older.  Ozpin’s expression became more serious.  A woman sobbed. Other than that, the room held its breath the room held its breath in silence.  

“Bring them in,” Crouch said in a flat voice.

The same door Bagman had entered through opened again and six Dementors pulled four prisoners shackled together at their wrists and ankles across the room until they stood in front of the chair with the shackles.  They all looked dirty and haggard. One of them, a scorpion Faunus, laughed uncontrollably, bursting out into random giggling fits. The other two stood silently, but looked like total opposites. Next to him stood a tiny, waiflike girl whose baggy robes barely fit.  The third man resembled a mountain in comparison to the second prisoner, making her look like a House-Elf.

But the one that stuck out to Ruby most stood last in line, the blonde teenager with the quivering lip.

“You have been brought here before the Council of Magical Law,” Crouch announced, his face and voice expressionless, “so that we may pass judgement upon you for a crime so heinous that we have rarely heard the likes of it within this court.”

The boy with the blonde hair looked up at Crouch.  “But father…”

Crouch acted as if he didn’t hear the boy.  “We have heard the evidence against you. The four of you stand accused of capturing an Auror--Frank Longbottom--and subjecting him to the Cruciatus Curse, believing him to know the location of artefacts which would help you return the Old Gods to Earth.”

The boy continued to protest, his screams rising to a crescendo as he tried to tell his father that he was innocent, that he shouldn’t go back to Azkaban.

Crouch spoke over him without breaking his cadence.  “You are further accused of using the Cruciatus curse on Frank Longbottom’s wife when he would not give you information.  You planned to attempt to bring Salem to power on this mortal plane, and to presumably be rewarded for your acts of violence.  I now ask the jury,” and his voice, shouting to drown out the boy, started to betray his rage, “to raise their hands, if they believe, as I do, that these criminals deserve nothing less than to spend the rest of their life rotting in Azkaban!”  A vein pulsed in Crouch’s forehead.

The entire jury raised their hands.  The spectators watching the trial cheered.

“No!  Don’t send me there!  Don’t send me there!” the boy screamed through his sobs.

Meanwhile, the giggling Faunus cackled, totally unbothered by the proclamation of his fate.  “The Dark Mistress will rise again, Crouch! Throw us into Azkaban, we will wait! She will rise again and will come for us, and give us greater rewards than all her other supporters!  We were faithful! We alone were faithful!” He laughed so hard he fell over, dragging the small woman down with him.

Meanwhile, the boy tried to fight the Dementors trying to pull the unruly prisoners back out of the courtroom. “I’m your son!” he shouted, over and over, sounding more broken each time.  “I’m your son!” he sobbed and his voice cracked.

Crouch snapped.

“You are not my son!” he roared.  “I have no son! Take them away! Now!”

“No, father, please!” the boy wailed.

“Miss Rose, it appears you’ve gone snooping.”

Ruby spun around.  Professor Ozpin stood behind her.  A different Professor Ozpin sat next to her.

“While curiosity is an admirable quality, I suggest you make more intelligent decisions in the future as to how you investigate your findings,” the standing Ozpin said.

Ruby looked back and forth between the two Ozpins.

“Come,” Ozpin said, and when he put his hand on hers, they began to float up together as the world turned into a watercolor painting again.  Out of nowhere, Ruby’s feet hit the floor, causing her to stumble as her legs suddenly adjusted to standing in the real world.

“S-sorry, Professor,” Ruby said, putting her arms out for balance.  “I just...I saw the cabinet…”

“Perhaps you should start by asking what it is you’ve found,” Ozpin suggested.  “I find that option generally less risky than poking at something unfamiliar.”

Ruby felt her face going red.  “What is the bowl, then?”

“It’s a Pensieve.” Professor Ozpin walked around and sat behind his desk.  “A repository for thoughts and memories. Sometimes an external analysis makes patterns easier to spot.”  He paused. “Now that you’ve had your adventure, what did you want to tell me?”

“I had a dream,” Ruby said.  “And yeah, I know that means I fell asleep in class and I shouldn’t do that, but it was Divination!  Anyway, it didn’t feel like a normal dream. It felt...too real, if that makes any sense.” Ruby described the dream for Professor Ozpin.  “Do you know why I had that dream? Was it a premonition like Professor Trelawney thinks?”

“Not a premonition, no,” Ozpin said thoughtfully.  “I think that, perhaps, your experiences with Miss Fall’s journal two years ago have left you with a permanent connection to her.  It’s quite possible that you are, in some manner, experiencing what she is experiencing. But this is most unusual, I must admit.”

“Why?”

“Cinder hasn’t been heard from in years.”

Ruby paused before asking her next question.  “Do you think they might actually bring Salem back to Earth?”

“They may certainly try.”  Professor Ozpin stood to escort Ruby out of his office.  “Good luck on the third task, Miss Rose.”

Ruby nodded.  “Thanks.”


	19. That Fateful Day

As the last task approached, Ruby trained with her friends on a regular basis.  They almost made it a game. Every day, someone would have something that they’d found to help her.  Jaune found a book on Trip Jinxes, which Nora had suggested so that Ruby could trip the others as they ran through the maze.  Nora helped her with the Reductor curse, all too thrilled at the idea of having some empty crates (courtesy of Hagrid) and a way to make them explode with magic.  Ren showed her how to do the Impediment Jinx. Blake helped develop Ruby’s shield charm. And Yang just took too much glee at being struck with all manner of things (half of them jokes she’d found) to help Ruby train in their mock duels.

Everyone seemed to enjoy practicing together, learning new skills and brushing up on the old.  Sun once walked by the empty classroom they used to practice, calling it, “Junior Auror training,” making Blake blush furiously, but he wasn’t wrong.  Everyone felt more ready for their Defense Against the Dark Arts exams that year than ever before.

Qrow became more concerned too.  He seemed convinced that the Salem cult was out to get Ruby because she had silver eyes.  He sent owls almost every day warning Ruby and Yang to be careful.

Finally, the day of the last task arrived, filling the air with tension and excitement.

An owl arrived for Blake, like it did every morning, with a copy of The Daily Prophet.  This time, she took the newspaper, read the first headline, and groaned loudly.

“What is it?” Yang, Ruby, and Nora asked at the same time.

“She could not have picked a worse time!” Blake said, her frustration evident.  “Rita Skeeter’s crazy.” She laid the paper out on the table so that they could read the article.

_ Ruby Rose: Is the Tournament Getting to Her? _

_ The youngest competitor in the Triwizard Tournament seems to be suffering under the stress from the Triwizard tournament, writes Rita Skeeter, Special Correspondent.  Rose, the Daily Prophet can exclusively reveal, has nightmares. On Monday, midway through a Divination lesson, your Daily Prophet reporter witnessed Rose leaving a Divination lesson after a nightmare disturbed her so badly that she had to leave class.   _

_ Ozpin should surely consider whether or not such a fragile girl should be allowed to compete in the Triwizard Tournament. _

“Ruby?  Fragile?  Please,” Yang scoffed.  “She’s crazy.”

“How’d she even get into the Divination classroom anyway?” Ren asked.  “It’s not large. If she attempted to hide, she’d almost certainly be discovered.”

“Forget that,” Jaune said.  “She’s not even allowed on the school grounds!  How’d she know what happened in Divination anyway?”

“Wait, what happened in Divination?” Blake asked.

They explained about Ruby’s nightmare to Blake.

“That doesn’t make any sense!” she agreed.

A light bulb turned on in Yang’s head.  “Oh my god!”

“What?”

“I think I know how she’s been sneaking around!”  Yang rubbed her hands together. “Blake, do you remember that book you found with the records of Animangi that you used for that paper last year?”

“Um, yeah?”

“Can you show me where it is?”

“Yang, our History of Magic exam is in ten minutes!”

“So find it fast.”  Yang stood and began to gather her things.  

“Are you serious?”

“It’s not like I can just let Skeeter keep saying shit about my little sister, can I?”

Blake sighed and grabbed her bag.  “Fine. But you owe me if we miss the exam!”

Once they’d left and Jaune, Nora and Ren had begun to pack their things, Professor Goodwitch approached the Gryffindor table.  “Rose, the champions are congregating in the side chamber after breakfast.”

“Why?”

“The champions’ families are invited to attend the final task, as you’ve been informed.  Did you think you were exempt?”

Ruby’s eyes widened.  “Oh! Thanks, Professor Goodwitch!”  She shoveled a final spoonful of scrambled eggs into her mouth before standing up and heading over to the antechamber, fighting against the crowd of students going the opposite direction to do so.

Ruby pushed the door open to see her father standing in the center of the room, a huge grin crossing his face.  “Congratulations, Ruby!” He swept her up into his arms and Ruby grinned. “So, I see you’ve taken after me. Getting into trouble wherever there’s some to find.”

“Come on!  Yang hasn’t gotten detention this year at all!”

“And neither have you,” her father said, taking her shoulders and looking at her.  “I’m really proud of you, Ruby. I know the year started rough, but you’ve taken everything in stride.”

Ruby blushed.  “Well, now that Yang and I are talking again, everything’s way easier.”

By this point, the other champions had joined with their families in the room.  Well, Pyrrha had. Her parents--both with hair as red as hers--stood and gazed adoringly at her as she answered their questions.  Mercury and his girlfriend talked quietly in a corner. 

As Ruby passed Winter, she stopped.  “Didn’t anyone come for you?”

“Weiss has exams,” she explained.  Although her expression nearly remained neutral, something about her seemed quite sad.

“Well, how about you come with us?” Ruby asked.  “Dad and I were just going to go and take a walk outside.”

“It’s okay,” Winter said.  She didn’t meet Ruby’s gaze.  “Weiss and I have made arrangements for later in the day.”

“Are you sure?” Taiyang asked.  

“Quite sure.  I need to go to the library anyway.”  And with that, she walked past Ruby and Taiyang and out the door.

 

By the time the evening feast rolled around, Ruby wondered where the time had gone.  After their morning walk outside, they’d eaten lunch with Yang before Taiyang had showed Ruby where he and his friends had hung out during their own years at Hogwarts.  Not having exams meant Ruby had a lot of free time, and Taiyang didn’t let her use it to dwell on the next task.

The feast that evening was just as grand as the one that had welcomed their guests to Hogwarts.  However, neither Crouch nor Velvet sat at the table at the head of the hall.

“What’s the Minister of Magic doing here?” Yang asked.  “Where’s Crouch’s assistant?”

“Velvet?” Taiyang asked.  “They--well, with Crouch’s disappearance, they’re afraid someone’s impersonating him in order to disrupt the Ministry.  She didn’t want to be responsible for putting anyone at risk, so she quit.”

“So he hasn’t shown up again?” Ruby asked.

“I’m afraid not,” Taiyang said.  “It’s really suspicious. He’s apparently only been communicating with Velvet by owl. She turned over all the letters.”

“I hope she’s okay,” Ruby said.  “I talked to her once or twice. She was really nice.”

“I don’t know her well, but I think Velvet cares a lot about others.”  Taiyang took a drink. “But sometimes you just can’t predict what people will do.”

 

Pyrrha excused herself from dinner and walked out of the Great Hall to go use the restroom, walking by the Gryffindor table on her way out of the hall.

She felt nervous, under the surface.  It had been nice to see her parents, but she needed to be in top form for the maze.  She wanted to win, sure, but for Hogwarts more than anything. She didn’t need the prize money or the glory.  She’d already received scouting reports from a few Quidditch teams she’d wanted to potentially play for, and the results looked good.  In the grand scheme of things, this tournament didn’t mean as much to her now as it had at the beginning of the year.

Pyrrha tapped Jaune on the shoulder as she passed and motioned for him to follow her.  Confused, he did, and she walked until she found an empty hallway where they could speak freely.

“What’s going on, Pyrrha?” Jaune asked.

Pyrrha’s face reddened.  “I just wanted to talk to you.  You know, before everything happens tonight.  I was wondering if, maybe this summer you’d like to stay with us?  You don’t have to stay the whole summer, even a day would be fine, but I just wanted to ask.”  She felt even more embarrassed for stumbling over her words.

“That would be awesome, Pyrrha,” Jaune said, smiling.  “I’d love to come visit. Do you think you’re ready for the third task?”

“As ready as can be expected, I suppose.”  Pyrrha looked into the distance as she mentally surveyed her training, making sure she hadn’t missed a thing.  She snapped her focus back to Jaune. 

“You’ll be amazing, Pyrrha.  You’re strong and smart and just so...amazing.”   

Pyrrha’s heart warmed at the sincerity of the compliment.  She reached out and embraced Jaune in a hug, pulling him closer to her.  

“You got this.  I believe in you,” Jaune said into her ear.

Pyrrha turned her head, giving into the impulse before she could overthink and lose the opportunity.  

She brushed her lips against Jaune’s cheek, kissing it lightly.

He stiffened against her in surprise, and his face reddened.  She felt hers heating up too.

This was a disaster. 

She pulled away, but Jaune caught her hand.  His eyes were bright and he grinned at her again.  “I can’t wait to hang out with you this summer, Pyrrha.”  So she hadn’t messed up.

“I look forward to it, Jaune.”


	20. The Last Task

The champions stood together at the north entrance to the maze to receive their final instructions.  Professors Goodwitch, Port, Moody, and Hagrid stood with them, each wearing a red star pinned to their robes.

“If you need to be removed from the maze at any point during the task, use your wand to send up red sparks,” Goodwitch told them, the torchlights surrounding the stadium reflecting off her glasses and blonde hair.  “One of us will come to your aid. Do you understand?”

The champions nodded or answered with an affirmative.

With that, the teachers walked each of the champions to their entrance to the maze, each positioned at the cardinal directions.  Ruby found herself accompanied by Professor Goodwitch as she remained at the North Entrance.

“Let the third task of the Triwizard tournament begin!” Ludo Bagman’s voice boomed over the Quidditch pitch.  “On my mark. Three...two...one….GO!” he roared, and the crowd went wild as each champion ran into the maze.

The hedges cast shadows over Ruby as she dashed between them.  “Lumos,” she whispered, and held out her wand to light the way as she jogged forward, wary of going too quickly and running into a challenge before she could react.

Ruby took the twists and turns of the maze, feeling more worried as the only impediment to her success turned out to be dead end after dead end--and a few of them might have been the same dead end repeatedly, a maze full of hedges that all looked the same in the dark didn’t exactly help her navigate all that well.  Blake had suggested Ruby study navigation spells. Now she wished she’d listened.

As Ruby ran through a straight stretch, she heard noise off to her right and saw a flash of light.  Pyrrha held up her wand to a Blast-Ended Skrewt, which had tumbled backwards when the curse hit its shell.  She took the opportunity to dash down a side path, and Ruby scurried forward, hoping the Skrewt hadn’t seen her and chosen her as its next target.

She turned the corner to see the globelike Grimm Torchwick had summoned in her first year float towards her slowly, its tentacles undulating underneath its orb as it felt out the location of its prey.

They wouldn’t have put a real Grimm in here, would they?

No, summoning a Grimm required the use of blood magic.  Ozpin wouldn’t let them do that. Plus, with the World Cup…

“Reducto!” she tried, but the globe didn’t explode as it kept floating closer.

So definitely not a physical being.

That narrowed things down significantly, but then, Ruby’s experience with the more esoteric magical creatures was very limited.

“Riddikulus!” she tried, thinking of the snow globe she’d managed to turn the Grimm Boggart into in her third year Defense class, of the fact her family was watching, of the fact she made it this far in a tournament she couldn’t have possibly hoped to win.

And it worked.

Ruby ran through the space previously occupied by the Boggart the moment it vanished.

A few more forks and dead ends later, she noticed a faint sparkling gold mist floating in front of her.

Ruby approached it cautiously.  It was definitely magic…

A nearby scream spurred Ruby into action and she ran forward. She couldn’t get tied up here if someone was in trouble--bad enough trouble that they couldn’t even send up sparks.  She needed to find them. Her, in particular. The scream’s timbre had been feminine. Mercury’s voice wasn’t high pitched. Pyrrha or Winter, then.

When Ruby stepped into the mist, the world turned upside down, but she had too much momentum to stop, and ended up falling out of the antigravity spell and landing on her butt on the cobblestone path, right-side-up.  Ruby continued through the maze, never finding the source of the scream and feeling increasingly desperate and frustrated. All these turns and intersections and dead ends...it felt like she was making no progress.

And someone was hurt.

If she didn’t win, at least let her be able to help the injured person..

Ruby turned left and ran around a curve...right into the giant Skrewt.

“Rats,” she muttered.  “Stupefy!” she shouted, but the ricocheted off the hard shell into the hedges.  Couldn’t explode it, it’d kill her...she didn’t really have options. She’d annoyed it and the damn thing was coming for her now.

“Impedimenta!  Protego! Impedimenta!”  Ruby tried the stopping and shielding charms over and over, chanting them until she realized that a giant fiery worm-thing hadn’t eaten her where she stood.

She’d managed to halt the Skrewt right before it had impacted the end of her wand, firing the spell into its mouth.

Ruby ran past it and took every turn she could, putting distance between herself and the angry, irritated creature.

She stopped when she heard a shout.  This one definitely came from Pyrrha.  “Hey! Stop that!”

“Crucio.”

Mercury’s voice made Ruby’s blood go cold.

She needed to get to Pyrrha!  Now! This was like that Quidditch match last year against Slytherin, the one where Winchester had mounted her broom to try and stop her from getting the Snitch.  This competition was totally out of hand, and Ruby figured a little rule-violating wasn’t unnecessary under the circumstances.

“Incindio,” Ruby whispered, slowly burning away the hedge at its base.  She didn’t want to burn the maze down--just make it possible for her to get through. When she’d created a hole large enough for her head, Ruby forced her shoulders and torso through, pulling herself out the other side, her wand drawn even before she’d stood up.  “Stupify!” she shouted at Mercury and the spell hit him in the center of his back while he ran.

He fell to the ground like a sack of rocks and Pyrrha stopped screaming and writhing, going still before blinking her eyes open.

“Ruby?  What are you doing here?”

Ruby helped Pyrrha to her feet.  She moved slowly and stiffly, and Ruby just wanted to tell her to move faster.  “I heard Mercury cast the spell.”

“Thanks,” Pyrrha said.  

“He tried to attack me in the second task,” Ruby said.  “He claimed it wasn’t an attack--”

“But this proves that it was.  Right.” She sent up red sparks from her wand.  “Let’s get moving.” Pyrrha jogged forward, her longer strides outpacing Ruby, who struggled to keep up.  She turned right at the next intersection, while Ruby went straight.

The maze started to get darker, which Ruby hoped meant that she’d reach the center soon.  The only challenge she encountered was another Boggart on her way through the maze--well, another Boggart, the same intersection twice, and a dozen dead ends.

But then the path in front of her started to brighten.

The Cup!  It had to be close!

Ruby picked up the pace, breathing harder.

As she reached the cobblestone area at the center of the maze, Pyrrha’s shout surprised her, and Ruby obeyed without thinking.  “Dive!”

Her chest hit the ground and she skinned both knees.  A huge spider landed right where she’d been standing, its legs scuttling against the stone and its jaws clicking as it eyed its prey.

“Deprimo!”  The winds Pyrrha summoned from her wand blasted the spider back enough for Ruby to scramble to her feet.  As she ran backwards and away from the spider, Pyrrha tried to stun it, to no avail.

“Stupefy!” Ruby shouted, timing her spell to match Pyrrha’s.

The spider fell over, unconscious.

Pyrrha jogged to her side.  “Are you okay?”

“Yeah, thanks.”  She turned to look at Pyrrha and gestured at the Cup.  “You should take it. You saved me. And I’m not even supposed to be competing in the first place!  You deserve it, Pyrrha.”

Pyrrha shook her head.  “You saved me earlier, with Mercury.  You deserve it at least as much as I do.  Even though you weren’t supposed to compete, you stepped up to the challenge.  You did things that most wizards your age wouldn’t dream of. Just--for your resilience and optimism alone, Ruby, you should have the Cup.”

“Well, this is weird,” Ruby said, filling the silence of the maze.  “Neither of us want to take the cup. I don’t think they expected this.”

Pyrrha laughed.  “No, I don’t think they did.”

“What if we both take it?”

“Is that allowed?”

Ruby shrugged.  “Let’s try. It can’t hurt.  If nothing else, it’ll make history or something.”

Pyrrha positioned herself on one side of the cup while Ruby stood on the other side, their hands hovering just over the golden handles.  “Three…”

“Two…”

“One!”

Both girls grabbed the cup at the same time.

Then they vanished.

 

Their feet hit the ground hard and Ruby reached out to Pyrrha to keep from falling over.  They’d landed a dark field, far from Hogwarts--the lack of mountains confirmed that. The long, weedy grasses tickled their legs as they swayed in the cool night breeze.  As their eyes adjusted, they noticed small lumps of varying shapes and sizes marring the field around them at regular intervals.

“Ruby?  Do you know where we are?” Pyrrha asked quietly.

“I have no idea,’ Ruby whispered back, holding her wand out.  Pyrrha copied the motion. “Did you know that the Cup was a Portkey?”

“No.  Something is really wrong here.  I don’t think this is part of the maze.”

Pyrrha and Ruby stood back-to-back, surveying the field.

“It’s a graveyard,” Ruby whispered, more to herself than anything else.

“It doesn’t make any sense.”  Ruby felt Pyrrha tense, “Someone’s coming.”

A hooded figure walked towards them, slim and short.  They walked slowly, with confidence. Somewhere in Ruby’s mind, alarm bells began to ring.  This had been deliberate. There hadn’t been a mistake with the spells on the Cup. This person expected them.

They raised their arm.  A woman’s voice, cold and hard, reached them right before the spell she cast did.  “Avada Kedavra.”

The green bolt struck Pyrrha in the stomach, sickly and unnatural-looking, even within the graveyard.

“Pyrrha!” Ruby screamed as her friend fell backwards, forcing her to step forward and out of the way.  She winced as Pyrrha’s body hit the ground hard. Her last expression had been one of surprise, her green eyes open wide and her mouth stuck in a perpetual gasp.

Although her friend’s corpse lay at her feet, Ruby couldn’t believe she was dead.  

Before Ruby could react, someone grabbed her arms from behind and dragged her away, knocking her wand from her hand.  Her feet left furrows in the soft ground as her kidnapper pulled her backwards. Ruby didn’t struggle.

Pyrrha was dead.

She’d just seen Pyrrha die.

Her captor dragged her to a marble headstone and moved around Ruby to push her back against it, before conjuring ropes to bind her to the obelisk from her shoulders to her ankles.  Quickly, efficiently, the person checked the knots binding Ruby before standing again, but this time, the wandlight illuminated the face underneath her hood.

“Raven,” Ruby breathed.

Raven took a black cloth from her robes and stuffed it into Ruby’s mouth.

“It’s done,” Raven said to the other figure, who nodded.  

“Get the cauldron.”

Raven walked behind Ruby and returned a moment later, using her wand to levitate the largest cauldron Ruby had ever seen.  She set it down so that it blocked Ruby’s view of Pyrrha’s body before lighting a fire underneath it. A liquid inside began boiling and sending up red sparks, which glittered momentarily in the air before plunging to earth.  Steam rose, too, making it look like the potion produced its own flame.

“Hurry.”

“It’s ready.” Raven stood back from the pot.

And then, to Ruby’s surprise, the figure took off her clothes in front of her, disrobing entirely so that she stood there naked before climbing into the cauldron and sitting down.

And it had been the woman from her vision.  Cinder Fall? Was she really still alive?

Ruby gasped through the cloth in her mouth.

“Bone of the mother, unknowingly given, you will renew your daughter,” Cinder intoned.

The grave dirt at Ruby’s feet cracked and a fine dust rose into the air, floating in an arc to the fluid in the cauldron, which popped and snapped and turned blue.

“Flesh of the servant, willingly given, you will revive your mistress,” the woman said, and reached out her arm for Raven.

Raven’s hand shook as she grabbed an axe whose blade was embedded into the ground.  She yanked it free and hefted it over her shoulder.

And in one decisive slash, Cinder’s arm fell into the water with a splash as she, too, fell back and wailed in pain.

Ruby screamed through the gag.  

The potion turned red.

Cinder kept screaming.

Raven turned away from the potion, striding over to Ruby and pulling a knife from her belt.  Ruby struggled against the ropes, but they bound her too tightly for her to wiggle free. Her breathing sped up as Raven knelt in front of her.  She raised the knife to Ruby’s neck and Ruby closed her eyes, almost frozen in fear.

She felt cold and pain underneath her collarbone and opened her eyes as she realized that Raven hadn’t intended to kill her.

“Blood of the enemy, forcibly taken, you will resurrect your foe,” Raven intoned as the blood trickled into a glass vial.  When it filled, Raven took it back to the cauldron and emptied it into the mixture, which turned a blinding white color, silhouetting Raven’s form against it and blocking out everything else.

Ruby shut her eyes against the glare until she could no longer see it against her eyelids.

“My robe, Raven,” Cinder said.  

Ruby saw Raven assist Cinder with her robe, helping her pull it over her head.  Her arm, which Raven had just chopped off with a bloodstained axe, had regrown--unnaturally.  Its skin was now as black as ink, not human at all. And one eye sparkled like a red jewel set within that same strange black flesh.

She stepped out of the cauldron, her robe entirely concealing her strange arm, laughing in delight.

The sound made Ruby’s skin crawl.

Ruby felt violated after witnessing such a sick, perverse use of magic.  She’d never seen anything like it before, but she knew deep down that it was deeply, horribly wrong.

“Come, Raven,” Cinder commanded.  Raven approached the woman and bowed so low that her nose nearly touched the ground.  “Turn around.”

Raven stood and turned.  The woman reached her black hand under the collar of Raven’s robe, making Raven shudder.  She withdrew it after a moment.

“I see that it has returned,” the woman said with a nod.  “Soon, we shall know the brave from the foolish, my dear.”

And then, as far as Ruby could tell, they just waited.  Standing together, staring out over the graveyard, a small smile on Cinder’s lips.  This continued for minutes, and with each moment more, Ruby’s anxiety heightened.

And then she saw the people.  They Apparated in, all over the graveyard, all wearing hoods and masks, all in awe.  They moved towards Cinder, all murmuring quietly:

“Did she really...manage it?”

“Is that the Dark Mistress?”

“She’s finally done it!”

They gathered around Cinder and Raven.  “Welcome, my followers,” Cinder proclaimed after all those that had Apparated into the graveyard had gathered around.  “You have done admirably answering my call. Order, as you know, cannot exist without chaos. Good, not without evil. Joy...not without pain.  By restoring me, you bring balance to the mortal plane, and for that, you will be rewarded. But those of here drawn not by your loyalty but by your fear, beware: your falsehoods, your allegiances to Ozpin, shall be discovered.  And for each, you shall receive a most appropriate punishment.”

She paused and surveyed the crowd.  

“Your magic has been diluted by time and by Order’s machinations.  Humanity, by my estimation, has never been more pathetic. More domestic.  You’ve been made into sheep, and for what? To satisfy Order’s selfish desires?  But that need not be your fate.”

She sounded crazy.

Cinder walked over to Ruby and caressed her cheek.  “This mortal shell allows me to reach a new duality.  One never before seen in mankind. For I, a the Goddess of Grimm, can touch one of the silver-eyed children without harm in this form.  But, of course, magic, while diluted by Order, still has enough Chaos within it to do this.”

Cinder stepped back and pointed her wand at Ruby.  “Crucio.”

Ruby tried to writhe in pain against the ropes.  Burning pain shot through every inch of her flesh, making her scream into the gag and forcing tears out of her eyes tand down her face as the woman’s followers stared, some laughing, some horrified beyond words.

And just as abruptly as it started, the pain stopped.  Ruby’s whole body felt hollow and weak.

Cinder smiled.  “Raven, untie the girl.  We shall send Ozpin a message.”

Raven used the knife from her robe to cut Ruby’s bindings, suddenly leaving leaning on the tombstone for support.  She then returned Ruby’s wand.

The others had their wands out too, ready, if Ruby tried anything.

“Bow to me, child,” Cinder said, her tone playful, and Ruby just kept staring at her.  Her gaze sharpened. “I said bow.”

Suddenly, someone’s hand hit her back and forced her torso forward, knocking her off balance.  As Ruby picked herself up out of the mud, she heard the laughter.

“I could crush you, child.  I could send your bones back to Ozpin,” the woman said.  “But I think my message will be more easily sent...alive.”

Another flick of her wand and Ruby felt the excruciating pain from the Cruciatus curse again.  She needed to get out. But how? She couldn’t think as she writhed and retched on the ground. She just knew she needed out.

The pain stopped again, and the woman let Ruby get to her feet.  “If you will not duel--”

“Stupefy!” Ruby shouted, but the woman broke the spell with a wave of her black hand and raised her own wand.  

“Crucio!”

“Expelliarmus!”

Their spells impacted midair, creating a stream of golden magic connecting their wands.  The power rushing through Ruby’s arm seized her hand in position, she literally couldn’t pull away even if she wanted to.

A bead of light moved along the thread connecting their wands to each other, sliding towards Ruby’s wand and heating up so much that she was sure it would burn her hand.  So she tried to force the bead back towards Cinder, pouring more and more magic into her spell to no avail. The bead wiggled back towards Cinder once or twice, but stayed at the end of Ruby’s wand.

Cinder’s playful smile made Ruby think that she thought of this as a game.

Ruby couldn’t hold on any longer.  Using her other arm, she wrenched her wand out of alignment with Salem’s and broke the thread.

Magical discharge exploded out of the spell and rained down on them, exploding and producing unexpected results when it impacted something, spawning ghosts, burning the cultists, and lighting fires in the graveyard around Cinder.

As the cultists ran to help their mistress, Ruby ran for the Cup like she had never run in her life.  A few curses shot past her, bright lights landing and creating pockmarks on the ground and tombstones around her, but she heard Cinder behind her: 

“Stop.  Let her go.  Let her tell her tale.”

Ruby didn’t even care that she was playing right into the cult’s crazy plan, she wanted to get out there alive.  She wanted to wake up in the Hogwarts dormitory and have this all have been a dream.

She wanted to walk down to breakfast and see Pyrrha and Jaune talking in the Entrance Hall, turning to wave to her as she descended the stairs.

Instead, she saw Pyrrha’s unfocused eyes looking up at the stars, unseeing and dull.

She grabbed Pyrrha’s arm, her cold skin making Ruby’s flesh crawl.

With the other, she grabbed the Portkey and closed her eyes.


	21. Aftermaths and Alliances

Ruby landed wrong when she hit the ground just outside the maze and fell backwards, Pyrrha’s body landing on top of her and the Cup falling to the side.  The noise, the lights--after the graveyard, it was all too much. Ruby closed her eyes and held her breath

So it wasn’t a dream after all.

“Ruby!”

Her father’s voice.

“Cinder,” Ruby said, and her voice shook.  “The cult...they did something...”

Ozpin and Fudge’s faces appeared over her.  Ozpin looked deadly serious, Fudge looked shocked and lost.

“Nikos...she’s dead,” Fudge whispered, looking across Ruby and Pyrrha at Ozpin.

The whisper carried across the stadium as people repeated it to each other.

Pyrrha Nikos was dead.

Ruby saw Taiyang’s face come into focus as he knelt in front of her.  “You need to let go of her now, Ruby. You brought Pyrrha back. That’s more than you needed to do.”  And carefully, he pried her fingers off of Pyrrha’s arm.

“The cult!” Ruby said, grabbing at her father’s arm.  “The Ministry! They need to do something!”

“Taiyang, she needs to go to the hospital wing,” Fudge was saying, “she’s injured--Ozpin!  Nikos’ parents are here! In the stands! Shouldn’t you tell them--”

“I’ll take it from here, Ozpin,” a new voice said.  Professor Moody had joined them. “I’ll get a statement, then Rose can go to the infirmary.  Takes care of the whole impartiality issue,” he added to Taiyang. “Let’s get her out of here.”

Ozpin nodded at Taiyang.  “Stay with her.”

Ruby held onto her father as they walked towards the castle, Mad-Eye Moody on her other side, looking deeply serious.  “What happened, Ruby?”

“The cup was a Portkey,” Ruby said.  Describing the events, they felt unreal.  “We grabbed it together. Pyrrha and I. But...but we didn’t win.  We ended up in a graveyard and...and then...Cinder Fall, she just killed Pyrrha.  Out of nowhere. Just...killed her.”

“It’s okay, Ruby,” Taiyang reassured her, but now that the words had started, they didn’t stop.

“And Raven Branwen was there too with this woman and they made a potion and Cinder got in it, but she came out wrong and weird.”

By now they were rushing down the halls towards Moody’s office as fast as Ruby could go.  As her panic increased, she walked more quickly. 

“And I’m pretty sure she...she’s sharing a body with Salem?  I don’t know. She talked like...I don’t know. She talked crazy.”

They reached Moody’s office and Ruby sat down.  She was amazed at how much her feet hurt now that she wasn’t standing on them anymore.

“How did she do it?” Moody asked, absolutely enraptured.

“She said, she used a spell with the potion.  While she was in it. She summoned the bones of the mother from the graves.  She had Raven take blood from me. And she had Raven cut off her arm into the potion.”

“Oh my god,” Taiyang said.  “Moody, I thought--how would they even get their hands on this kind of information?”

But Moody didn’t pay any attention to Taiyang.  He focused only on Ruby’s tale.

“And then she summoned her followers?”

“Uh, yeah,” Ruby said, a little surprised.  Her eyes widened. “Wait! Dad! A cultist! Would they put my name in the Goblet?”

“Yeah,” Taiyang said, looking worried.  “They’re really suspicious about the legends involving silver-eyed children.”  Ruby noticed he’d pulled his wand from his belt. “With so many people coming and going, it’s a possibility one of them infiltrated the castle.”  As he spoke, he moved around behind Moody’s back and pointed his wand at the other man. “Stupefy.”

Moody slumped forward onto the floor, and Taiyang summoned ropes to tie him up.

“But--but didn’t Moody train you?” Ruby asked her dad, staring up at him.  She didn’t have the energy to be properly surprised at the sudden turn of events.

“That’s how I know that that isn’t Moody,” Taiyang said, rubbing one hand across his chin.  “The real Moody wouldn’t have let you leave Ozpin’s sight. Nor would he have known about Raven--his first question should have been about how she’s been dead for fourteen years.  This guy, he just knows too many things that he shouldn’t know unless he’s in with Salem’s cult. Which means there’s a real possibility that this goes far deeper than the Ministry originally assumed.”

Ruby and Taiyang turned as the door to the office slammed open, hitting the adjacent wall as Ozpin, Oobleck, and Goodwitch stood outside it with their wands drawn and pointed into the room.

“Your traitor’s been dealt with,” Taiyang said.  

Ozpin responded with a serious nod.

“Rose shouldn’t witness this,” Goodwitch said.  “She’s seen enough for a lifetime tonight.”

“Ruby stays,” Ozpin’s eyes flashed.  “She deserves to understand what she went through.  A lack of resolution creates the anger and resentment seen in Salem’s followers and feeds into their desires for chaos and suffering for others.  Miss Rose deserves more than to simply be another casualty in this ancient war.”

“Are you sure?” Taiyang asked.

“You may stay as well, Taiyang, if you wish.”

Taiyang planted his feet and crossed his arms.  “How long have you known?”

“My suspicions were only confirmed this evening,” Ozpin said.  “Alastor would not have wished to separate Ruby from you or I in such a dire emergency.”  He turned to the other teachers. “Bartholomew, the strongest truth serum you possess, please, and the House Elf from the kitchen known as Winky.  Glynda, there is a crow in Hagrid’s pumpkin patch. Please bring the bird to my office and assure it that it will not be disturbed. Return here as soon as you are able.”

“On it, Professor!” Oobleck left the room, Goodwitch on his heels.

Once the door had shut, Ozpin approached the trunk, taking the keys from Moody’s desk and unlocking each lock before pushing the lid open.

The trunk was much deeper than it looked, and inside the waist-deep box, a thin, emaciated man with a ragged, messy haircut, slept in the bottom.  His chest rose and fell steadily. He looked just like Professor Moody.

Ozpin jumped into the trunk and felt for a pulse on the man’s neck.  “He’s alive. Asleep, but alive. He’s fine for now.”

Taiyang took off his own cloak and tossed it Ozpin.  “Here. At least make sure he’s comfortable.”

Ozpin tucked it around the real Moody before climbing out of the box.  He then went to the imposter and unclipped the hip flask from his belt before unscrewing the lid and sniffing the contents.  “Polyjuice potion.”

“Guess not even Moody’s crazy paranoia could protect him from this,” Taiyang said, sitting in the other chair.

“No.  Indeed, it may have lead to his downfall.  No one would question the flask because Moody only drank from it, that was well-known.  An imposter could use that to their advantage. Obviously, this one has been using the flask to conceal themselves by regularly administering the Polyjuice potion without arousing suspicion.  So, before we do anything else, we must wait.”

“Why?” Ruby asked.

“It will just take longer to get him to talk if he believes we believe his charade.” Ozpin took the seat behind Moody’s desk when Taiyang stood to pace.  They stayed like that until the imposter’s face began to change. It softened, subtlely at first, then more drastically. The eye sockets filled out and the wrinkles disappeared.  The prosthetic leg detached as a real one grew in its place. The hair on the man’s head went from grey to dirty blonde.

“That’s the man from the trial!” Ruby exclaimed.

“What is Barty Crouch doing here?” Professor Goodwitch asked from the door.

Winky ran out from behind her and Professor Oobleck’s legs and wrapped her arms around Crouch’s still form.  “Master! What is they do to you? Master Barty?”

“He’s fine,” Taiyang said.

“Bartholomew, the potion?” Ozpin asked.

Oobleck took a small clear vial from his pocket and handed it to Ozpin.  With Taiyang’s help, he got Crouch’s mouth open and poured a few drops in before letting his jaw go slack again.  They propped him up against one of the walls.

“Ennervate,” Professor Ozpin muttered, pointing his wand at Crouch’s chest.

Crouch’s head lolled as he came to, groggy and disoriented.  

“I would like to know how you escaped from Azkaban,” Ozpin said, standing over him.

Crouch spoke as if someone pulled the words out of his mouth with a pulley.  They had no expression to them, no life, but they came, smoothly, coherently, and steadily.  He told of how his mother willingly traded places with him in his cell and took the Polyjuice Potion to maintain the illusion.  His father smuggled him out and staged his wife’s death before having his son live his life trapped indoors under an Invisibility Cloak and the Imperius Curse to prevent their ruse from ever being discovered, but his plan hadn’t been foolproof.  Poor Bertha Jorkins had come to visit to get some papers signed and had heard an invisible person talking to Winky. The memory charm Crouch had used on her had damaged her brain permanently.

“And the Quidditch World Cup?” Ozpin asked.

“Winky talked my father into it,” Crouch said.  “She spent months persuading him. I had not left the house for years.  I had loved Quidditch. Let him go, she said. He will be in his Invisibility Cloak.  He can watch. Let him smell fresh air for once. She said my mother would have wanted it.  She told my father that my mother had died to give me freedom. She had not saved me for a life of imprisonment.  In the end, he relented. We planned carefully. My father lead me and Winky up to the Top Box earlier in the day.  Winky was to say that she was saving a seat for my father. I was to sit there, invisible. When everyone had left the box, we would emerge.  Winky would appear to be alone. No one would ever know. But Winky didn’t know that I was growing stronger. I started to fight my father’s Imperius Curse.  There were times when I was almost myself again. It happened, there, in the Top Box. I found myself out in public, in the middle of the match, and I saw a wand sticking out of a boy’s pocket.  I stole it. I had not been allowed a wand since before Azkaban. Winky didn’t know.”

“Jaune’s wand!” Ruby exclaimed, looking up at her father. 

Taiyang nodded.

“Master Barty, you bad boy,” Winky sobbed through her hands.

“And then what?” Ozpin prompted.

“We went back to the tent.  Then we heard them. The cultists.  The ones who had never been to Azkaban.  The ones who had never truly suffered for their goddess.  They had the freedom to seek her, but they did not. They just wanted to torment the Muggles.  My mind felt clearer than it had been in years. I heard their voices. I was angry. And I had the wand.  I wanted to see them suffer for their disloyalty. My father had gone to free the Muggles. Winky feared my anger.  She used her magic to bind me to her and pulled me into the forest, away from the riot. I wanted to show those false witnesses evidence of their sins.  So I took the stolen wand and cast the Impression into the sky and summoned the Grimm. Ministry wizards arrived, shooting stunning spells. They caught Winky and I.  My father waited until the Aurors left to search for me. He put me back under the Imperius Curse and took me home. He dismissed Winky. She failed him. She let me acquire a wand.  She let me escape.”

Winky sobbed harder.

“Now Father and I were alone.  And then...and then she came to visit.”

“She?” Taiyang asked.

“Cinder Fall.  She arrived at our house late at night.  She had information from Bertha Jorkins. The Branwen tribe had captured her in Albania and tortured her, even past the point of breaking the memory charm from all those years earlier.  Raven knew it all. She’d told Cinder of the Triwizard Tournament, of Moody teaching at Hogwarts, of my escape from Azkaban. And so she knew, she knew I was the faithful one. Maybe the most faithful.  My father answered the door. And she put him under the Imperius Curse, oh, it was wonderful! For him to be trapped and for me to be free! She told me we would risk everything for our Mistress, for the preparations for her descent to Earth were nearly complete!  She told me of a silver-eyed child at Hogwarts, told me to guide her through the Tournament, ensure her success so that it would be she who would tough the Portkey and be delivered to Cinder.” His dull expression had become lively as he spoke, but not in a good way.  His eyes sparkled with a mania Ruby didn’t think she’d ever seen before and spittle flew from his mouth as he spoke.

“So what’d you do to Moody?” Taiyang asked.

“Cinder and I, we did it.  We prepared the Polyjuice Potion, took it with us to Moody’s house.  We subdued him, although there was a struggle. We stuffed him into his truck.  I took his leg and eye and faced the Aurors when they came to investigate the disturbance.  And when I went to Hogwarts, I packed his things and kept him under the Imperius Curse so I could interrogate him.  For I needed to fool everyone so thoroughly that they wouldn’t suspect a thing.”

“And Cinder?” Ozpin resumed the questioning.

“Hiding in my father’s house.  Maintaining his Imperius Curse and managing the final preparations for the goddess’s descent to the mortal plane.”

“But your father escaped.”

“Yes.  He fought, as I had fought.  Cinder stopped allowing him to leave the house and forced him to write letters instead with his orders.  But Cinder could not stay. She left Raven Branwen to watch over my father, but she was not watchful enough.  He escaped under her watch. But she knew my father wanted to confess. Cinder sent word that I needed to stop him, so I waited and watched.  I tampered with the wards so that they would alert me if my father entered the grounds.”

Goodwitch’s lips pursed.

“When he came, I wore the Invisibility Cloak into the forest and intercepted him.  But then Rose and Schnee noticed, they saw my father. Rose and her silver eyes, I couldn’t hurt her, but Cinder had said nothing about the Schnee girl, oh yes, I stunned her and killed my father at the first opportunity.”

“Noooo!” Winky wailed.

“So where’s the body?” Taiyang asked.

“In the forest, under the Invisibility Cloak.  Once everyone had gone, I Transfigured it into a bone and buried it.”

“And tonight, you offered to carry the Cup into the maze,” Goodwitch continued the story.  “And I let you. You enchanted it.”

“Yes,” Crouch said as a manic smile crossed his face.  “Yes, yes, yes! Cinder’s plan, it worked. The Dark Mistress has been returned to the mortal plane, where she will reign victorious forever more!”

Ozpin turned to the other teachers.  “Glynda, can you stand guard here?”

She nodded and turned to point her wand at Crouch.  “Of course.”

“Bartholomew, get Madam Pomfrey to bring Moody to the hospital wing, then bring Cornelius Fudge here.  I’m sure he’ll want to see what Crouch has to say. Now, Miss Rose, come with me.”

“What?” Ruby said.  She’d zoned out for a moment after Chrouch’s testimony.  Her adrenaline rush had worn off, leaving her exhausted and her body feeling like a sack of rocks.

“I believe that there is someone in my office you will want to see,” Ozpin said.

“Come on, Ruby,” her dad encouraged, and together, they walked up to Ozpin’s office.

 

When Ozpin pushed the door open, Qrow stood right in front of it.  He had a flask in his hand. “I told you this would happen!” he said over Ruby’s head.  

“Oh, so you knew that there was an imposter at Hogwarts?” Taiyang yelled back.

“Qrow!  Taiyang!” Ozpin reprimanded them.  “Both of you! Now is not the time.”

Taiyang took Ruby to a chair, and she sat down, feeling very tired.  She struggled not to fall asleep as her father and Ozpin told Qrow what happened with Crouch.

Finally, their voices fell silent.  Ruby knew what would come next. Her father held her hand.  “We need to know what happened in the maze,” he said, getting down on her level and looking into her eyes.

“Can’t that wait?” Qrow asked. 

“All of the delay in the world won’t make it any less painful for her, Qrow,” Ozpin said quietly.  

And so, Ruby told her story.  Slow at first, and then the words tumbled out of her mouth.  When she got to the part about Cinder touching her, everyone looked appalled.

“So she’s managed to subvert that particular limitation,” Ozpin said, rising to pace his office.  “Go on, Ruby.”

When Ruby finished the story, her final words hung heavy in the air.  

Ozpin looked at her.  “Miss Rose, you have shown bravery tonight far beyond what was expected of you.”

“Can I sleep now?” Ruby asked.

“I believe the hospital wing may be more appropriate than returning to your dorm for the time being,” Ozpin said, and Taiyang nodded.

“I’ll stay with you,” he said.

“Me too,” Qrow said.  “Can’t be too careful these days.”

 

When they arrived at the hospital wing, they found Yang, her face stained with tears, demanding Madam Pomfrey to tell her where her sister was and if she was okay and why wasn’t she here?  She sounded almost hysterical. When she heard the door to the Hospital Wing open, she looked over her shoulder, turned, and sprinted for her sister.

“Ruby!”

Taiyang caught her before she could bowl her younger sister over.  

“Cool it, Firecracker,” he said calmly.  “Your sister’s been through a lot.”

“That’s why I should be with her!  I was supposed to be protecting her!  Watching her back! I thought...I thought I wasn’t going to see her again…”

And Yang, just as exhausted as Ruby, sat down on one of the beds and began to sob.

Ruby walked over to her and put a hand on her arm.  Yang looked up at her with watery lilac eyes. 

But she didn’t know what to say.

It wasn’t okay.  

It didn’t feel like it’d be okay ever again.

Madam Pomfrey took Ruby’s arm.  “Your sister needs to sleep,” she told Yang.  “You can see her again in the morning.” She gave Ruby pajamas and took her behind a screen so she could change, then gave her a potion in a goblet and a bottle, telling her to drink it all.  But Ruby didn’t need that much to fall asleep after all.

 

The shouting woke Ruby up.

She first heard the voices from outside the Hospital Wing as vague echoes, then the door opened and the lights turned on. Ruby shifted under her covers.  Her father had sat up too and looked at the curtains.

“It’s regrettable, but all the same, Glynda--” Fudge’s voice echoed through the mostly-empty room.

Taiyang glanced at Ruby and noticed she’d woken up too.  He pulled open the curtains to reveal Goodwitch arguing animatedly with the Minister of Magic.

“Those creatures, those...abominations have no place within Hogwarts!”

Fudge ignored Professor Goodwitch’s agitation.  He walked down through the ward, past the mostly-empty beds until he reached Taiyang.  “Where’s Ozpin?”

“What’s going on?” Taiyang asked.

And as if he’d been summoned by the commotion, Professor Ozpin strode through the hospital wing with a mug of coffee in his hand, his emerald eyes flashing as he surveyed the scene.  “I believe Mr. Xiao Long’s question stands. What is going on here?” His voice was unnervingly calm, especially in comparison to Goodwitch’s fiery anger.

Oobleck, who had followed Goodwitch into the room, spoke up from the door.  “The Minister brought a Dementor into the castle to accompany him to interrogate Mr. Crouch--”

“As Minister of Magic, I have the right to bring protection when interrogating a potentially dangerous individual--”

“I made your disapproval of the creatures clear, sir--”

“Quiet,” Ozpin said, and although his voice didn’t rise above the cacophony, everyone obeyed.  “Bartholomew, continue.”

“The Dementor administered the Kiss to Crouch before it could be stopped.  He won’t be able to give formal testimony, sir.”

“Why does formal testimony matter?” Fudge asked.  “We know why he killed them! He was a raving lunatic who thought he was resurrecting a god!”

“And he did, Cornelius.  He did help resurrect a god.”

Fudge scoffed.  “That’s preposterous, Ozpin!  There’s no way! The Old Gods--they don’t even exist!  They never did and they never will!”

“The testimony was elicited under Veritaserum,” Ozpin countered.  “An ancient ritual happened tonight, Cornelius. Miss Rose would have no reason to lie about her experiences and everyone at the tournament witnessed the incident with the Portkey.  Crouch’s testimony lined up with that. Even if you can’t bring yourself to believe that Salem has really returned to Earth, you cannot deny that her cult is becoming increasingly active.”

Fudge shook his head.  “You’re getting old, Ozpin.  Do you even know how ridiculous you sound?  The Old Gods have always been myths, and if Crouch believed them and let himself be manipulated into interfering with the tournament--well, if he believed them to be true, he would treat them as truth under Veritaserum.  You can’t trust a lunatic, Ozpin.”

“Then trust the words of Miss Rose.  A transcript of the events she described to me tonight is in my office.”

Ozpin saw Fudge’s gaze drift to Ruby.

“She’s not answering any more questions tonight.” Taiyang ended that argument before it could begin.  

“You believe her?  You’d take her word for what happened?”

“Of course I would,” Ozpin said, at the same moment Taiyang interjected with, “What are you implying?”

“Well, it’s all in the papers, Xiao Long!  The nightmares, the stress--she’s just cracked under the pressure of the tournament!”

Ruby’s face reddened.  Her father looked ready to punch the Minister of Magic.

“Reported by a woman known for greatly dramatizing her accounts,” Ozpin replied calmly.  “Ruby’s nightmares can be linked to her interaction with a Horcrux created from a journal in her second year, in which the Horcrux began to draw from her soul, using its own to fill the gap.  That isn’t something that doesn’t leave scars, Cornelius.”

“Never heard of anyone getting prophetic nightmares from one before--”

“Yeah, but it turned out to be true, didn’t it?” Ruby said from her bed.  

“Minister, you can’t be serious!” Professor Goodwitch interjected, throwing her hands in the air.  “All the evidence shows that Pyrrha Nikos and Bartemius Crouch were not random killings!”

Fudge turned on her.  “And what is this evidence you speak of?  Because the way I see it, you’re all determined to start a coup that could destabilize the Ministry worse than the massacre fourteen years ago!”

“You cannot continue to deny Salem’s existence,” Ozpin said.  “If you wish to avoid that destabilization you speak of, you should begin now.  Remove the Dementors from Azkaban-”

“You’re insane!  Remove the Dementors?  Half of us only feel safe in our beds at night because we know that they’re there!  I’d be kicked out for sure.”

Ozpin’s eyes became a bright emerald green.  “You are blind, Cornelius. You can’t see past the next election, and this puts the people of Britain--of the entire world--in grave danger.  The Dementors are created from the Grimm and the blood magics themselves, and you don’t believe they would turn to Salem the moment she asks? You have a chance to act, an opportunity that could save us all, and yet you make the choice to fail your people.”  Ozpin turned and looked away from Fudge. His voice became calm again. “I can’t think of a person whom I’d less like to have in office.”

But Fudge still raged.  “Now see here, Ozpin. I’ve let you have your freedom out of respect for you.  I’ve kept quiet when you’ve made questionable choices, like hiring Hagrid or making your own curriculum without consulting the Ministry.  But if you intend to commit treason against the Ministry--”

“The only treason I commit is against Salem.”

This silenced Fudge for a moment.

Oobleck pulled off his shirt and turned so that his back faced Fudge.  “The emblem of Salem. It will have faded by now, but it should still be visible.  It is tradition for followers of Salem to get the tattoo infused with the blood of Grimm.  When activated by another, it would signal that we were needed to carry out Her Majesty’s wishes.  Tonight I felt it burn more intensely than I have in my entire life. Lionheart also felt it, and he fled.  His loyalty to Salem has become driven by fear in recent years, which she would not tolerate if she knew.”

Fudge stared at Oobleck in disbelief, then at Ozpin.  “I don’t know what game you think you’re playing, Ozpin, but enough is enough.  It appears that the Ministry will have to discuss how Hogwarts is being managed.  Expect to hear from me tomorrow regarding potential changes. Now, I need to return to the Ministry.”

He took a few steps toward the door, but stopped and turned back.  “Your winnings,” he said, and pulled a bag from his coat pocket and placed it on Ruby’s bed.  “One thousand Galleons. Congratulations, Miss Rose.”

They watched him leave.  Ruby frowned at the bag on her bed and nudged it with her foot.

“I don’t want it.  It should go to Pyrrha’s family,” she said.  

Taiyang took the bag and set it on the table beside the bed.  “We can deal with that tomorrow.”

Oobleck put his shirt back on.

Ozpin spoke once the door shut.  “Can I count on you, Taiyang?”

Taiyang nodded.  “Whatever you need.  We have to stop Salem.”

“Good.  You need to find those not so easily swayed to Fudge’s way of thinking and act as their source of information. The utmost discretion will be required in order to avoid suspicion.  Can you do that?”

“I’ll do my best.”

“Good.”  He turned to Madam Pomfrey.  “There is a House-Elf requiring your assistance in Moody’s office.  Please do what you can for her and take her to the kitchens. I believe that another one of the Elves there will gladly care for her if necessary.”

Madam Pomfrey left the room without another word.  Ozpin waited until the door shut to speak again.

“It’s time that we all acquaint ourselves,” he said.  ‘Qrow?”

Qrow flew from the bed and transformed back into a man.  

“Are you serious?” Goodwitch’s voice was full of shock and disapproval.  “He’s a convicted murderer, for heaven’s sake!”

“Qrow is here at my invitation because I trust him, Glynda,” Ozpin said.  “As I trust you.”

Goodwitch crossed her arms over her chest and pushed her glasses up her nose.  “Fine, then. She stepped towards Qrow and held out her hand for him to shake.

“We have work to do,” Ozpin said.  “Fudge’s attitude changes things drastically.  Salem cannot be permitted to come to power. Qrow, you will be responsible for finding us a discreet base of operations.  Your family had a substantial number of property holdings, as I understand?”

Qrow nodded.  “Yeah. I’ll get the records.  Though we’re gonna need some pretty strong enchantments to make sure Raven won’t be able to find it.”

Ozpin nodded.  “Whatever you need.”

Qrow turned to leave, but Ruby’s cry stopped him.  “Uncle Qrow?”

“This is bigger than all of us, Ruby.”  He smiled at her before turning into a crow and flying out an open window.

“Bartholomew, you understand what you need to do?”

Oobleck nodded solemnly.  

“Then do it.”

He headed towards the door.

“Glynda, I need you to begin to make contact with the Faunus.  Reach out to the White Fang and other organizations.”

Goodwitch gave her affirmative and followed Oobleck out of the infirmary.

Ozpin looked off at a point in the distance.  “Now, I must talk to the Nikos’. Take your potion, Ruby.”

And finally, only Ruby and Taiyang were left in the hospital wing.

“What happened to Pyrrha wasn’t your fault,” Taiyang said.

Ruby felt too tired to argue.  She took the rest of her potion and fell into a deep sleep.


	22. Bittersweet Endings

The next week felt like a blur to Ruby.  After talking to Pyrrha’s parents, she felt like nothing worse could possibly ever happen.  She’d begged them to take the gold, saying Pyrrha had wanted a victory beyond herself when she stood with Ruby at the Cup after saving her life.

They’d refused, saying that Ruby deserved it for trying to save her, for bringing her home.  They said Pyrrha would have wanted her to have it. They told her Pyrrha admired Ruby for doing so well in the tournament.

In the end, they decided that Ruby would keep half the money, as Pyrrha would have wanted, and Pyrrha’s money would go to the youth Quidditch league she played on in the summers, as it had brought her so much happiness and she had talked of volunteering with them after graduation in between trying out for Quidditch teams.

That night, she returned to her dorm.  Everyone walked around as if her on pins and needles, and a palpable sadness filled her dorm room.  The Common Room felt somewhat better, but it was obvious Pyrrha’s death had shocked the entire castle.  Yang and Blake stuck close to Ruby, but others, like Nora, Ren, and Jaune, looked lost. Nora and Ren spent an increased amount of time whispering behind their hands in the corner of the Common Room, obviously worried.  Unlike most of the other students, as Muggle-borns, they didn’t have familiarity with the kind of atrocities the cult had committed, and spent a lot of time researching the most morbid topics in the library until Madam Pince had told them to quit trying to sneak into the restricted section.

Instead of latching on to someone else in grief, Jaune fell still.  He didn’t cry, nor really carry on a conversation with anyone. He would just sit.  Sometimes with a book, sometimes just staring into space. Just thinking.

He reminded Ruby of how she’d felt when she’d returned to the maze from the graveyard.

But he didn’t say anything, and Ruby didn’t really want to talk about it, so she didn’t ask.

 

Nora and Ren went to visit Hagrid after being kicked out of the library for their excessively age-inappropriate literature choices.

“I was hopin’ you’d come visit before the end of the year!” Hagrid exclaimed, giving them both a hug.

They sat down at Hagrid’s table as he made tea for them and explained how they’d been kicked out of the library.

“I knew this was gonna happen,” Hagrid said, shaking his head as he brought the teacups (really, large mugs) over to the table.  “And Madam Pince was right, y’know--you two have seen enough of that Dark stuff for a lifetime. Don’ need to immerse yourself in it so soon after another tragedy.  But you do need to know, and you’ll learn. You’ll put yourself in the action, and you’ll learn.”

‘What do you mean by you knew this would happen?” Ren asked.

“Those cults.  They’ve been makin’ a fuss for awhile, and...a lot of magic exists that you don’ talk about.  You don’ write about. Someone as smart as Cinder Fall would get their hands on it in a matter of time.  Ozpin says it’s just the balance of the universe, order and chaos never stop warrin’ against each other. But there’s no point in worrying about it until it happens.”

“So, what are you doing this summer?” Nora asked.

“I got me a job,” Hagrid said proudly.  “‘Course, I can’t tell you what it is. Ozpin gave it to me,” he added at their surprised looks.  “Ain’t nothin’ illegal. What about you two?”

“I’m going to get a job, I guess.  The convenience store near the group home is always hiring.”  Nora shrugged.

“I think I might volunteer at the library,” Ren said. 

The conversation moved on to other topics, and they spent a pleasant afternoon together.

 

Ruby set foot in the Great Hall again for the Leaving Feast.

She hadn’t returned since Pyrrha’s death.  She didn’t want to be stared at. Instead, Nora asked Dobby to bring her food, and Dobby did as he was told.  But Yang convinced her to come, just for that evening. “The world doesn’t stop moving just because someone dies,” she said.  “Come on. The food will be really good.”

And Ruby went.

This year, the Great Hall was draped in black banners in honor of Pyrrha.  The mood felt too subdued for an end-of-year feast, but too bright for a funeral.  For the first time since she’d come to Hogwarts, Ruby found the atmosphere alienating rather than comforting.

“Allow me to begin with a few words,” Professor Ozpin said, standing in front of the staff table.  “The first of which are that Pyrrha Nikos should be in this hall tonight.” He paused for a moment of silence, which filled the room.

“Pyrrha demonstrated the ideals of Ravenclaw House as thoroughly as any Prefect before her, and it was an honor to select her for the position.  Her intelligence and kindness have left their marks on everyone within this castle, whether you knew her well or not. However, I would do Miss Nikos a disservice if I did not discuss the circumstances of her death with you.  Pyrrha valued everyone she met, regardless of age or house or blood purity. She would not have wanted her death to herald such dire events, but unfortunately, we do not choose when we proceed from this world to the next.

“So, the truth of her death.  Pyrrha Nikos was murdered by Cinder Fall, a powerful figure within a Dark cult which worships Salem.”

Gasps and whispers filled the hall, but quieted quickly as Ozpin spoke again.

“This is information that the Ministry of Magic does not want you to know.  Nor, I expect, do some of your parents. They don’t believe that the cults are growing more powerful, and believe that they are mere fringe groups on the outskirts of society.  They think that the Old Gods are irrelevant to modern society, and that the atrocities committed in their names--and which are still committed in their names--should be forgotten.  Unfortunately, ignoring history does not make it so that these events never happened and makes it impossible to prevent them from happening again.

“Of course, there is one other person whom I must mention in my speech tonight.  Ruby Rose performed an incredible act of bravery by escaping the cult and returning Pyrrha to her family.”

He raised a mug of coffee in Ruby’s direction, and the students followed suit, raising their glasses towards her.  Yang grinned.

“The Triwizard Tournament exists in order to bring the three wizarding schools of Europe into harmony and celebration together.  That aim is now more important than ever as Salem’s followers gain power and thus, ability to sow discord between us. Therefore, I invite every one of you to seek refuge at Hogwarts, should you need it.  Salem is the goddess of chaos and entropy, she and her followers seek to destroy all of the bonds and goodwill that we have spent centuries building. If you stand with us against the darkness, then you will always have a place among us.”

Ozpin paused for a moment.  “Remember that not all choices you will face have an easy answer.  Remember that doing the right thing requires one to make sacrifices.  But remember the cost of your failure to act, too. Remember that Pyrrha Nikos simply happened to be in the wrong place at the wrong time.  She died in an act of senseless violence as a means to an end. Remember what you want the world to become, and take the steps to make that world a reality.”

 

After the feast, someone tapped Ruby on the shoulder.  She spun and saw Weiss standing behind her. “Hey,” Weiss said.

“Hey,” Ruby answered.

“Winter had to leave.  She wanted to say that she was glad she met you and that you were a more than worthy competitor in the tournament.”

“I’m glad to have met her too,” Ruby said.  “Your sister seems really cool.”

“She is.”  Weiss grinned.  “Well, see you next year.”

“You too, Weiss.”

 

On the train home, Yang seemed even more energetic than usual.  Finally, Ruby had to ask. “What has gotten into you?”

“Blake, headlines please,” Yang announced, swinging her legs under the seat.

“Nothing interesting,” Blake answered, folding up her copy of the Daily Prophet.  “They’re probably trying to keep Pyrrha’s death quiet. But seriously, Yang, what’s up?”

“Well, you remember that Rita Skeeter was the Daily Prophet correspondent for the tournament but not actually allowed on campus?  Well, everything that happened after the third task would be something a vulture like her would love. So where’d she go?”

Her friends looked more annoyed and Yang smiled more widely as she reached into her bag and pulled out a jar with a beetle in it.  

“Seriously, Yang. Stop joking,” Blake said.

“No, she’s seriously in here.  She’s an Animagus. I caught her during the third task, flying around in the stands.  And thanks to Blake, I knew it was her because Rita Skeeter isn’t a listed Animagus and beetles don’t wear obnoxious glasses.  Look.” She held out the jar.

Indeed, the beetle had markings that looked like eyeglasses around its antennae.

“How the hell did you figure that out?” Blake asked.

Yang shrugged.  “Never underestimate the wrath of an older sister whose younger sister has been wronged.  Anyway, I’ll let her back out in London. And if I see her byline in the paper, well, expect her name to be in the headline instead of underneath it in the next paper.”

She put the jar back in her bag as the compartment door opened.

“Big deal.  You caught a bug, Xiao Long.  Ruby’s everyone’s favorite again.  It’s a happy ending for now, but the real world isn’t a fairy tale,” Cardin Winchester said.  “The good guys don’t always win.”

“Oh, can it Cardin,” Blake said, and slammed the cupboard door.


End file.
